Red on Pink
by Uzumaki-'.'.'-Hyuga
Summary: A story told from a third person point of view, tells basically of Sakura's life at the time, while her childhood love is acting suspiciously. What will he do? Or more importantly, what will she do? Read and find out!
1. Red on Pink Chapter 1

**Red on Pink – A GaaSaku Fanfic (Chapter 1)**

"Hey! What's up, Sakura-Chan?" Naruto said as he walked towards the pink-haired kunoichi.

"Hi, Naruto." Sakura responded, deep in thought. It had only been a few weeks since she and Gaara became close friends, but she couldn't get over the fact that there seemed to be something weird about him. She just couldn't quite put her finger on it.

**-FLASHBACK-**

_One Wednesday afternoon Sakura was sitting under a tree reading a book when_

_Naruto came out of nowhere and started a conversation._

_"Heyyy, Sakura! Whatcha reading?"_

_"Umm, it's about some – wait a minute, why are you even here?"_

_"Well, I thought you might want to meet Gaara."_

_"I already met him, remember? I don't want to see him again."_

_"But whyyy?" Naruto whined._

_"Because he's creepy. End of story. Goodbye!" Sakura stood up and began to walk away._

_"No! Wait, Sakura-Chan!"_

_She stopped and turned around, clearly annoyed. "I said I don't want to –"_

_"But he wants to see you." He interrupted._

_"Well, why would he want to see me?"_

_"Just come on!" He grabbed her by the hand and started running._

_They arrived at Ichiraku Ramen a few moments later. Naruto pushed Sakura into a chair beside Gaara and sat in the chair adjacent to her._

_"Come on, Gaara, talk!" exclaimed an annoyed Naruto after a minute of silence._

_"Fine. I talked. You happy now?" Gaara snapped, glaring straight into Naruto's blue eyes from a seat away._

_"Well, it looks like you two are getting along." Sakura stated sarcastically, not enjoying sitting between them._

_"Okay. Why don't we just start over? Sakura, this is –" Naruto began._

_"I know who he is, Naruto!" She yelled, interrupting him._

_"Sakura, calm down. I was just trying to properly introduce you two."_

_"You know what? I'm done with this." Sakura placed her hands on the table and stood up._

_"Wait, Sakura-Chan!" Naruto yelled, then leaned down and whispered, "I'll leave, but please talk to Gaara. I want you two to be friends. Please?"_

_"Fine, but you owe me." Naruto left and Sakura sat tensely with a scowl on her face. _

_"Sometimes I just want to strangle him." Gaara commented as quietly as he could while still being audible._

_"Same here, trust me. In fact, I do almost every day." Sakura laughed, then she realized Gaara wasn't laughing. Not even a smile. Slightly afraid, she asked, "Is there something wrong?"_

_"No, no, I'm fine. I must go. You know, I'm the Kazekage. It was nice seeing you and all, but I really need to fill out these papers, and –"_

_"It's okay, Gaara. I understand. You go ahead. Sorry for keeping you."_

_"No, it's alright. I'll talk to you later, okay? Call me." Then he disappeared in a cloud of smoke._

_Sakura looked down and noticed a small folded paper with what she assumed had Gaara's phone number written on it. She simply stuffed it in her small pocket and walked home. The next day, she called him and they conversed._

_"Sakura, are you actually my friend, or do you just take pity on me?"_

_"Gaara, I care about you. We are friends." She said, though she wondered if it was only pity... She had only talked to him yesterday and now they were friends? Oh well. Gaara sensed her smile even across the phone; he couldn't believe she had really said that. "Gaara, you there?"_

_"Um, yes. I apologize. I was just thinking."_

_"About what?"_

_"Umm, nothing. Nevermind."_

**-END OF FLASHBACK-**

"Sakura, is something wrong?" Naruto asked, worried.

"No, no, I was just remembering something."

"What was it?"

Sakura sighed heavily. "Naruto, can you just leave me alone today?"

"Oh. Umm, sure, Sakura-Chan." Naruto walked away staring at the ground. Sakura felt a small pang of guilt for pushing him away when she knew how deeply he cared for her, but she needed some time to think about Gaara. She got a strange feeling when she was around him or talking to him, but she couldn't figure out what it was or what caused it.

"Hmm..." Sakura wondered aloud, "I wonder. I used to get the same feeling when I was around Sasu – Wait... No. No! I can't like Gaara! He's too creepy, and weird, and ... Hot. Wait, what am I saying?! Get ahold of yourself, Saku –!"

"Is something the matter, Sakura?" Kakashi had arrived in the middle of her talk with herself and decided that he should interrupt.

"Oh! Um, Kakashi-Sensei, I.. Umm..." Sakura blushed slightly, embarrassed by her apparently loud outspoken thoughts. "Nothing is wrong. I was just thinking out loud, I guess."

"Yes. Now, I heard something about Gaara?" Kakashi asked curiously, stifling a laugh.

"Umm..." Sakura was embarrassed and didn't know how to reply. She didn't want to tell Kakashi; she didn't want to tell anyone, really. She wasn't even sure about it yet.

"Well, Kakashi-Sensei, I am 17 now. I believe I have my rights of privacy."

"Okay, okay, Sakura. You're right. I won't ask again." Kakashi said. He wondered if what he heard was true. He didn't want to ask her, because he would invade her privacy if he did, but he still wondered.

"Anyways, Sakura, Tsunade wishes to see you. I'd recommend going now."

"Oh, okay. Thanks, Kakashi-Sensei."

"You know, I stopped being your sensei long ago. You don't have to keep calling me that."

"Well, I want to. It just reminds me of... the good days." She sighed.

"Alright, Sakura. Now hurry along, you know she doesn't like waiting." He smiled through his mask.

Sakura walked into the Hokage's office. "Umm, Lady Tsunade? You sent for me?"

"Yes, Sakura, there's something I need to talk to you about."

"Uhh, yes?"

"It's about Sasuke."


	2. Red on Pink Chapter 2

**Red on Pink – A GaaSaku Fanfic (Chapter 2)**

Continued from last time:

Sakura walked into the Hokage's office. "Umm, Lady Tsunade? You sent for me?"

"Yes, Sakura, there's something I need to talk to you about."

"Uhh, yes?"

"It's about Sasuke."

"Umm, wh-what about Sasuke?"

"Well, to put it briefly, he's kidnapped Naruto and he's heading for Sunagakure to attempt kidnapping Gaara. We think he is still working for the Akatsuki."

"What am I supposed to do about it then?"

"We want you to go rescue Naruto first. Gaara can protect himself if needed. This may, in fact, prove to be a difficult task for you, Sakura. I've already requested a few other ninjas to aid you in your mission. And, look! Here they are now."

Shikamaru, Ino, Hinata, and Neji all walked in at the same time.

"Hey, what's this all about anyways? It's all so troublesome." Shikamaru asked tiredly.

"Yeah, I'm with him. I was in the middle of training." Ino said, annoyed.

Hinata stood there quietly, shifting uncomfortably.

"Well, I really don't care what we're here for, as long as it's good." Neji said.

"Okay, okay, everyone settle down. Naruto has been kidnapped by Sasuke, and you all need to go on a mission to rescue him. We don't really know their exact location, but considering the time they left, they can't be far." Tsunade informed them all.

"Naruto-Kun was k-kidnapped?" Hinata asked, even though it was obvious.

"Yes, and you all are going on a mission to rescue him. Sasuke is already heading to Sunagakure, and we think he is going to attempt kidnapping Gaara." Tsunade explained, "I figured with Sakura's strength, Shikamaru's intelligence, and the Hyuga's various skills, you could probably defeat Sasuke and get Naruto back, especially if he is alone."

"Yes, that seems reasonable. Where should we look first?" Neji asked.

"Well, I was thinking you could split up into two groups and search in different places. Then use these headsets to tell each other if you find anything." Tsunade gave out one to each of them.

"Okay. Now, who will make up the two groups?" Sakura asked.

"Hmm, each team needs a Byakugan user, so I think Shikamaru, Hinata, and Ino can be in one group. You and Neji can be in the other." Tsunade said, "Do you all accept?"

"I-I'll do it." Hinata said, blushing slightly.

"Me too, I guess." Shikamaru said unenthusiastically.

"So will I!" Ino said, clearly more excited than the lazy Shikamaru.

"Yeah, me too." Neji said.

Sakura thought for a second. She had wanted to see Sasuke for a long time now; she remembered when he first left, when they went looking for him, when he killed Itachi, everything. But now that she was getting the chance to see him, she didn't really want to. She didn't know why, but she felt it was probably because she would have to fight him.

"Sakura, what about you? You're gonna do it right?" Tsunade asked.

"Oh, umm, do I really have to?"

"Well, you are a member of this village, right? And don't you want to see Sasuke again? Even if you must battle him, think of your village. And think of Naruto. Wouldn't it just make Naruto's day if you were among those who saved him? You're probably the only person he really cares about in this whole world, and, plus, he is your best friend. Do you really want to give up this chance? I think you'll regret it if you do." Tsunade said, lecturing Sakura while also persuading her to accept.

"You know what? You're right!" Sakura said, having a change in spirit, "Absolutely! I'll do it!"

"Good for you. Now go on. Sasuke isn't going to slow down and it would be best if you left as soon as possible."

All of them left the village immediately afterwards. They all began searching and succeeded after only about ten minutes. All of them met up a few meters away from where Sasuke conveniently decided to rest. Naruto was unconscious, they discovered, and he was leaning against a tree. They decided to try talking Sasuke into giving up Naruto first, but they wouldn't let their guard down, and would keep their eyes on Sasuke at all times. They left their hiding spot and walked over to where Sasuke was resting. Sasuke stood up and withdrew his katana from the black sheath attached to his waist.

"I knew you would come, Sakura." Sasuke said to the surprised pink-haired girl.

"Wh-What?"

"I lured you here. Simply to kill you. But it will be a bother with all this backup. I'll just have to take care of that, won't I?"

"Whoa, whoa, wait, Sasuke. We're just here to get Naruto; we aren't trying to create a battle! Why'd you take him, anyways?"

"I just told you, so you would come here in hopes of rescuing him."

"Hopes of?"

"Yes, only hopes. Now get ready, foolish, incompetent ninjas."

All of them prepared for fighting, until Naruto awoke at the most convenient time.

"Wha-What's going on here? Sasuke? Sakura? Why are we all in the forest?"

"Hmm, I suppose you were asleep when that duck-ass-haired idiot kidnapped you." Sakura replied.

Everyone except Sasuke tried to hold back their laughter at Sakura's comment.

"Wait, kidnapped? Ohhh. So _that's_ why we're in the forest. So you all came to rescue me?" Naruto asked gratefully.

"Well, that was our original mission. Why wouldn't we, anyways?" Sakura said.

"Hmm. Yeah, I guess –"

"Okay, stop with the chit-chat," Sasuke interrupted, "Now, where were we?"

"Hold it, Sasuke. How do you think you are going to defeat all of us highly skilled ninjas when you're only one person against five?" Neji asked.

"Make that six!" Naruto said, happily joining the group against Sasuke.

"Hmm, you do have a point. But I've been improving my skills for a long time now."

"Well, so have we!" Naruto added.

"No matter. If you wish to fight, then let's have at it," Sakura said, "Hinata, I'm sorry, but take Naruto back to the village while we fight Sasuke. And hurry!"

"Okay." Hinata said, running away with Naruto, secretly glad they were actually alone.

"Now, about your death, Sasuke." Sakura said menacingly.


	3. Red on Pink Chapter 3

**Red on Pink – A GaaSaku Fanfic (Chapter 3)**

Continued from last time:

"Now, about your death, Sasuke." Sakura said menacingly.

"You could never even come close to defeating me, Sakura!"

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah!"

"Well, then prepare to eat your words, Sasuke."

Shikamaru attempted to control Sasuke with his shadow possession, but Sasuke dodged it easily and threw an exploding kunai at Sakura. It barely missed and hit a tree behind her, but still knocked her forward a few paces, and she retaliated with a strong punch to his stomach, which threw him backwards. Sasuke groaned and doubled over momentarily, but recovered quickly and accepted a fighting stance, withdrawing his katana. Neji activated his Byakugan and lunged, attempting to hit a chakra point. Sasuke dodged easily and swung his katana at Neji, slicing his arm. Neji hissed in pain, but then managed to hit one of Sasuke's chakra points in his stomach. Sasuke fell to the ground, looked up at them, and raised his hands in surrender.

"Well, I must say, you all have gotten stronger since I last saw you." Sasuke commented.

"Thanks. But you know this means you'll die now, right?" Sakura pointed out.

"Well, I don't really care. I just wanted to see you all one last time, to be reminded of my old life, and just be happy again. I knew you'd bring backup, Sakura. I just wanted to test my strength, which, I guess didn't cut it this time. I guess I'll train harder. Thank you, Sakura." Sasuke said, then disappeared.

"Wait. How did he –? Wait a second, what's going on here?!" Sakura exclaimed, gaping.

"Sakura, calm down. I guess he had some jutsu planned that he could use to disappear if he lost the battle. I'm not sure, but we have completed our mission, so let's head back to Konoha." Shikamaru told Sakura.

"Okay, okay, fine."

They traveled back to Konoha and told Tsunade what happened. She was also quite puzzled about how Sasuke was defeated so easily with how skilled he is.

"Well, aren't we gonna go after him or something?" Sakura asked.

"No. I think we should hire a tracking ninja and keep an eye on him for now. We may also obtain some valuable information while we're at it." Tsunade explained.

"Well, I guess you're right."

"What happened to you, Sakura? You used to be so infatuated with the boy and now you are totally focused on killing him."

"I-I don't know. He's different from how he used to be, and so am I. I've moved on."

"I'm glad to hear that, Sakura. I thought your love for him would eventually get you in deep trouble. I am glad it didn't and won't."

Everyone left Tsunade's office, and Sakura went to visit Naruto.

"So, umm, Naruto, you're okay right?"

"Yeah, Sakura-Chan, never better. Why?"

"I was just wondering. I mean, you look okay, but I meant emotionally."

"Wait, emotionally? What do you mean, Sakura?"

"Well, let's see. Sasuke, your old best friend, kidnapped you just to try to kill me. You were so easily defeated by him, I thought you might be mad, or at least something."

"Oh, umm, I'm not sure. I guess we'll see eventually, won't we?" Naruto had a puzzled look on his face.

"Well, I have to leave, but I'll talk to you later, Naruto."

"Okay, bye." Naruto was thinking about something, but Sakura couldn't tell what.

The next day, she was still wondering why Naruto was so distant; she felt as if she was the one that caused it. Sakura stayed home that day. All was calm and quiet until she heard a hesitant knock on her door.

"Coming!" Sakura opened the door and saw Gaara standing there, looking down and awkwardly shifting side to side. When he finally glanced in her direction, he blushed a bright shade of scarlet and looked away immediately. Sakura wondered why until she looked down and noticed she was wearing short shorts and a tank top.

"Umm, c-come in Gaara. Hold on just a second, I can chan –"

"No. No, it's okay, I won't be here long."

"Umm, okay then, what is it?"

"Well, do you have any idea why Naruto is being so..."

"Distant?"

"Well, yes."

"I was actually going to ask you the same thing."

"Oh. So, I guess this visit wasn't helpful for either of us. Do you think we should ask him why? I mean, it wouldn't hurt."

"I've already asked him, but maybe he'd tell us if you're there."

"Well then, let's go." They began traveling to where Naruto was.

Naruto was thinking out loud. "Ugh, I wonder if I should tell her. I mean, it's just an idea. Well, I guess it couldn't hurt, I'll go tell her now!" He then bumped into Sakura as he stood up, who had just arrived with Gaara.

"Hey! Watch where you're going, idiot!"

"Sorry, Sakura-Chan."

"Anyway, we're here to ask you something."

"What is it?"

"Why are you acting so weird and distant, like you have something on your mind all the time? I miss the old you. You know, the hyper 'doesn't-care-what-people-think' you."

"Oh, umm, well..."

"Just spit it out already!"

"Well, I can't."

"Ugh! We came all this way just to show we cared about you, and you can't tell us?!"

"No, don't yell at him. It's obvious he does not wish to talk, so let's go," Gaara said calmly as he began to walk away, "I'll meet you at your house."

"Well look what you did now, Naruto. He lef –"

"No, no, no, that's exactly what I wanted him to do."

"But why?"

"Because I need to tell you something that he can't know about."

"W-what?" Sakura's eyes widened.


	4. Red on Pink Chapter 4

**Red on Pink – A GaaSaku Fanfic (Chapter 4)**

Continued from last time:

"Well look what you did now, Naruto. He lef –"

"No, no, no, that's exactly what I wanted him to do."

"But why?"

"Because I need to tell you something that he can't know about."

"W-what?" Sakura's eyes widened.

"Okay, well, I just don't want him to hear, really. Because I'm afraid he'll get mad or something, but anyways, I want to ask a favor of you, Sakura-Chan."

"Ummm... Okay, what?"

"Well you know how Gaara is, he never smiles and he's almost never happy. That day at Ichiraku when I was with you two, even though he didn't talk a lot, he seemed happier, even if only just a little bit. And I think it's because of you, Sakura-Chan."

"W-well what did I –?"

"He likes you, ya know."

"H-he does?"

"Well, duh! Seriously, Sakura, you're slow sometimes."

"What'd you say, Naruto?" She raised her fist.

"N-n-nothing, Sakura-Chan!" Naruto cowered in fear.

"That's what I thought. Now, anyway... I guess I should've known, but –"

"Wait, why?"

"Well, when he came to my house earlier, I was wearing shorts and a tank top, and when he looked at me he blushed and looked away like he didn't want to make eye contact."

"Hehehehe..."

"What now, Naruto?"

"You, in shorts, and a tank top..." He giggled and blushed at the image he had formed in his head.

"Naruto, concentrate! Now, what favor did you want to ask of me?"

"Well, umm... I think it'd make Gaara really happy if you'd be his girlfriend."

"Oh. Uhh, this is kind of sudden."

"Well?"

"Yeah, I'll do it. But I thought you liked me, why are you trying to set me up with him?"

"Oh. Well, it's pretty obvious you'll never return my love, so I thought you'd be better off with Gaara." She winced. "Plus, I care about him as a friend, and it would make him happier than he's ever been in his whole life. That's why." A sad look covered Naruto's face.

"N-naruto..." She reached out a hand to touch his arm, but she shrugged it away.

"It's okay, Sakura-Chan. Just go to him. He's waiting."

"Umm, okay. Thanks, Naruto."

"For wha –?" He began to ask, but she was already gone.

Gaara was watching TV when Sakura walked in the door.

"So, what did Naruto say?" He asked curiously.

"Umm, I can't really tell you, but I do have something to ask." She replied.

"What is it, then?"

"Uhh... Hmm..." Sakura was having more trouble than she thought she would.

"Well, what?"

"Umm, I want to be your girlfriend, Gaara." She sat down next to him.

Gaara didn't say anything for a few seconds; he didn't even look at her. He just continued to watch the television.

"Naruto told you to do this, didn't he?" He said matter-of-factly without taking his eyes from the T.V.

"Uhh, I-I don't know what you're talking about."

"You're a terrible liar, Sakura."

"I know." She said with a sigh, "But I really mean it. I feel the same way you do, Gaara. I swear."

He suddenly turned his head toward her and gazed into her eyes intently.

"Well that didn't seem like a lie..." He mumbled to himself and glanced away.

"Hmm?"

"Oh. Uhh, nothing." He blushed slightly.

"So, what's your answer?"

"Well, yes, of course, but..."

"But what?"

Gaara sighed and said, "How am I supposed to know you are not lying?"

"Well, I'm not sure, really, but it's true."

"Prove it, then."

"Umm... How do I –?"

Gaara interrupted her with a kiss.

"G-G-Gaara..." She stuttered when he broke the kiss.

"Don't ruin it, Sakura."

Sakura thought it was perfect. Warm and passionate, even though it didn't last long.

"Uhh, th-that was..."

"Nice, huh?" Gaara smirked self-assuredly, though on the inside he wasn't so confident, having never actually kissed anyone before.

"Y-Yes." She blushed, "Are you conceited or something?"

"Well, no. I sound like it, though, don't I?"

"Just a little." Sakura smiled at him.

"Uhh, Sakura..."

"What's wrong, Gaara?"

"I-I don't really know. My muscles are tugging at the corners of my mouth..."

"That's called a smile, Gaara."

"I-It's been so long since I've smiled, though. I guess it's just sudden."

"Why haven't you smiled in so long?"

"I don't know. I haven't had a reason to smile, I suppose."

"Well, I would get used to it if I were you." Sakura said just before she gave him a second, much longer kiss, and afterwards Gaara genuinely smiled for the first time in his teenage life.


	5. Red on Pink Chapter 5

**Red on Pink – A GaaSaku Fanfic (Chapter 5)**

Continued from last time:

"Well, I would get used to it if I were you." Sakura said just before she gave him a second, much longer kiss, and afterwards Gaara genuinely smiled for the first time in his teenage life.

"Umm, wow." Gaara stated in amazement.

"Yeah." She smiled in agreement, "Anyway, do you wanna go see if Naruto is better now?"

"Sure."

They once again traveled to Naruto's location.

"Hey, Sakura-Chan! Hey, Gaara." Naruto said when they walked up.

Gaara cleared his throat and told him in a firm but calm voice, "She's _my_ Sakura-Chan now..." Then he put his arm around her.

"Oh. No one told me. Sorry."

"We came to ask you if you were better, and if you were going to act like your normal self again." Sakura explained.

"Oh, yeah. I'm feeling a lot better actually. Thanks for stopping by, but I gotta go to-"

"Go to where?"

"Ummm, nowhere?" Naruto blushed nervously.

"Nowhere, my ass." Sakura said irritably.

"Okay, fine.

"Well, what else am I supposed to believe?"

"Okay, okay... I'm going to a friend's house."

"What friend?"

"You wouldn't know her."

"Oh so it's a _her_?"

"Don't be jealous, Sakura-Ch.. I mean, Sakura."

"I am not jealous! What the hell, Naruto?"

"What? I am going to a friend's house, there's nothing wrong with that! And you don't control me, so I don't need to tell you everything! I'm done with this!" Naruto yelled angrily as he disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

"Umm, what just happened?" Sakura asked, surprised.

"You made Naruto mad." Gaara replied bluntly.

"I-I didn't mean to. I just get so mad at him; I lose my temper and yell, it's just..."

"It's alright, Sakura-Chan."

"Ch-Chan?" She stuttered.

"Yes Sakura-_Chan_. I think I might call you that now."

"Oh. Well, we still have this problem with Naruto."

"Let's just not worry about it right now. He'll come back eventually."

"Yeah, you're right. Let's go back to my house."

They walked to Sakura's house and prepared to sleep there for the night.

"That was close. They might have found out where I was going." Naruto said, relieved.

"Who m-might have found out?" Hinata asked.

"Oh, you know, Sakura and Gaara..."

"What are we doing sneaking around l-like this, anyway?"

"Hinata, I just don't want anyone to find out. Because then word will spread, and your dad will find out, and then we won't be able to see each other again."

"Well, I guess you're r-right. But it's gonna be hard keeping it a s-secret for such a long time."

"Yeah, I know, but hopefully by then your dad will at least be a little less strict."

"Well, I'm t-turning eighteen next December. I guess we won't have to keep it a s-secret after that."

"True. Anyways, I feel like I was rude to Sakura. You and I have been going out for a few weeks and it's been hard keeping it from her, since she's so nosy. I've had to yell at her a few times."

"Maybe it'd be better if we t-told her. I d-don't think she would tell anyone. At least if we tell her n-not to."

"Also true. Well, Hinata, I'm just glad we're together, no matter what anyone says about it."

"M-me too, Naruto."

Naruto kissed Hinata passionately, and as always the blood rushed to her face and turned it a deep shade of red.

"So, where do you think Naruto ran off to?" Sakura asked Gaara.

"I don't know. I don't really care, either. Let's just go to sleep." Gaara replied, annoyed.

"What if he got brainwashed and ran off to join the Akatsuki?"

"Now how could such a dumb guy like... Well, you have a point. but do you honestly think anything like that would happen?"

"It could!"

"Well it didn't, Sakura. Now get some sleep, okay? You've had a long day."

They fell asleep in Sakura's bed, and the next morning they went to Naruto's house to see what happened to him.

"Ugh, who's that at the door?" Naruto asked himself when the loud knocks awoke him and Hinata.

"I-I don't know. Go answer it."

Naruto opened the door, and sure enough, Sakura and Gaara were standing there.

"Umm, hold on just a second!" Naruto slammed the door in their faces.

"Ugh! That was just rude!" Sakura exclaimed, forming fists.

"Just calm down; he'll be out in a minute." Gaara told her.

"Alright, Hinata, you gotta go hide somewhere, or go out the window onto the balcony."

"But Naruto, remember what we t-talked about last night? We should tell them."

"Fine, fine, but I don't want them to see you in my bed... In those sexy pajamas. I'll just tell them. Now, go!"

"O-Okay." Hinata agreed, blushing at his compliment.

Naruto opened the door for them, apologized, and invited them inside.

"So, Naruto, where'd you run off to last night?" Sakura inquired.

"Well, I'll tell you. But not right now." Naruto replied.

"Why not?!"

"Calm down, Sakura." Gaara said.

"Not now, you stupid –!"

"Sakura... Calm the _fuck_ down or I'll hurt you!"

Naruto was surprised at all the yelling, so he decided to do something about it.

"Umm, guys... I think you both better calm down before someone gets hurt, and you will really regret doing all of thi –"

Sakura slammed Naruto against the wall and continued arguing with Gaara. Naruto snuck out the window to talk to Hinata about what had just occurred.

"N-Naruto, what just happened in there?"

"Well, Sakura got really angry. Gaara tried to calm her down but then she called him stupid, so he got mad. I tried to stop it but Sakura slammed me against the wall as you can tell by this bruise on my back."

He took off his shirt and turned around to show her.

"Oh. T-That looks like it hurt." But she still blushed at seeing his shirt removed.

"Yeah, it did." The bruise located near the top of his back was very large, and his head injury fared no better, though he didn't mention that to Hinata. He feared she would worry about him too much.

"Y-You think you should go to the doctor?"

"Yeah, p-probably." Naruto said, lightheaded. Then he fainted.

Hinata climbed back through the window. Gaara and Sakura were still at it.

"Do you know what you just did?! Naruto could be dead right now, and you two don't care about anything but arguing?!" Hinata screamed at them.

They were half surprised at Hinata's outburst, and half wondering what the hell Hinata was doing there in the first place.

"Now you two need to help me get him to the hospital! He might have a concussion because of you!"

Hinata was very angry with Sakura, and Sakura felt dreadfully miserable. But they both only focused on Naruto for the time being. When they all arrived at the hospital, they told the nurses what happened while Naruto was being wheeled to a room on a stretcher.

After 30 minutes of the doctor performing several unnecessary tests to determine what had happened, he walked outside of Naruto's room and into the hallway where everyone else impatiently waited.

"I am sorry. Naruto has a chakra-filled crack in the back of his skull, and he may not make it. Even our best medical ninjas can do nothing."

"May I see him, doctor?" Sakura offered, feeling guilty. "I may be able to right the wrong I have caused here..." She mumbled.

"I-I don't think that's such a good idea..." The doctor said hesitantly.

"I am a certified healer under Lady Tsunade's teachings, sir."

"O-Oh. In that case, go right in." He opened the door for her.

"Wait, Sakura!" Hinata stopped her, "What exactly did you use in your hand when you knocked Naruto against the wall?"

"Well, I'm not sure. It was in the heat of the moment, but to cause an injury like that... Ugh, I don't know."

Sakura walked into the room and examined him. Naruto had awoken since they last saw him. He looked up at her with an expression that read, "Why me, Sakura?" She used her best healing abilities she had learned and healed his head, which unexpectedly drained her of more than two-thirds of her chakra. He immediately perked up after Sakura's procedure.

"S-Sakura Chan?"

"Shhh, don't talk. Just rest."

He did as she said. She flipped him over and healed his back with much more ease.

"I feel fine, though."

"Okay. Well, I'm terribly sorry, Naruto. You don't understand how guilty I feel right now."

"No, it's okay, Sakura."

"No, it's not okay! You almost died and it was all my fault because I got angry at you and I should control my temper better and you probably hate me now and... I'm sorry."

"Sakura, I love you." She was taken aback by that statement. "You'll never be able to hurt me bad enough for me to hate you."

"But, but..."

"Never." He said firmly.

"Okay." She said reluctantly. "Well, come on, Naruto, let's take you home. Hinata's really mad at me."

"Wow. I don't think I've really seen her mad in a long time, if ever."

"Well, now you can."

"Oh, and... don't tell Hinata I said I love you. She'll be even madder."

"Madder's not a word, Naruto."

"Just promise, please?"

"Okay. I promise."

They walked out of the room together. Hinata glared at Sakura for a moment, then turned to Naruto and asked him if he was okay. He told her that Sakura healed him completely, so he was fine.

"By the way, Sakura..." Naruto said.

"Hmm?" Sakura asked.

"I owe you."

"You owe me? For what?"

"I know you hurt me, but I wouldn't have made it without you healing me. So, I owe you."

"But you already owe me for making me sit with Gaara at Ichiraku."

"Huh?" Gaara asked, hearing his name.

"Nothing, Gaara." Sakura replied.

"Well I guess I just owe you times two now, Sakura." Naruto said.


	6. Red on Pink Chapter 6

**Red on Pink – A GaaSaku Fanfic (Chapter 6)**

Continued from last time:

"Well I guess I just owe you times two now, Sakura." Naruto said.

"But Naruto. How do you owe me times two?"

"Well, I'll just do two favors for you some day, or a huge giant favor that counts as two."

"I guess that works. Anyway, let's all go home. I'm probably not the only one that thinks we all need some rest."

They all agreed and went home to sleep. Of course Hinata spent the night at Naruto's house, and Gaara had temporarily moved in with Sakura. In the morning, Hinata called Sakura and explained to her about how her and Naruto's relationship is supposed to be a secret. She told her not to tell anyone and Sakura agreed. They all met up at Ichiraku and Naruto treated them to ramen. They talked about when they thought Sasuke was going to show up again, and about their relationships. By that time it was December all of them were 17. Gaara's 18th birthday was on January 19th of the next year. He secretly planned to marry Sakura once they were both 18, and her birthday was in March. Naruto and Hinata would do the same.

Tsunade called Sakura into her office the next morning, and, once again, it was about Sasuke.

"Okay, Sasuke has attempted to kidnap Naruto again. He really has to be up to something, but none of us can figure out what. Sakura, I need you to go hunt him down with the group you had previously, plus Gaara, and find out what he is trying to accomplish here. He might still be in league with a new version of the Akatsuki. I will call them all in here and tell them the same thing."

"Yes, Lady Tsunade." Sakura stayed until everyone else showed up, waited while Tsunade explained everything to them, then left with the group to hunt down Sasuke.

It took a while, but they eventually found him, once again, resting against a tree in the forest. Perhaps he got caught like that on purpose...

"Sasuke! What is your problem?!" Sakura yelled, startling him, though she probably should have just killed him while he was sleeping.

"Wha? Oh, Sakura! What the heck are you doing here?" Sasuke replied tiredly.

"I came here to ask you why you keep trying to kidnap Naruto!"

"I already told you, it's because I want to kill you. That's why."

"But, you already tried that once, and it didn't work."

"I know. But, as I expected, I've gotten much stronger since we last met."

Sakura thought to herself, "Oh, shit. We haven't even been training since then. If he's really as strong as he says he is, we might get beaten."

"Well, you know what? So have we!" She stated confidently, hands on her hips, "And I think you just keep making the same mistake by not bringing backup with you."

"No, I made that mistake once. And I almost got myself killed, you're right. But this time, _this_ time... I am ten times stronger than then. I don't even need backup!"

Sakura thought again, "I sure hope he's still as arrogant and cocky as he was back then. If he isn't, then I think we're done for, because he won't let us get away."

"Well, then. I suppose we'll just have to prove to you why backup is a good thing."

"Go ahead and try me! You have no hopes of beating me at all, anyways!"

"We'll see about that."

Shikamaru silently moved behind Sasuke. Neji activated his Byakugan and lunged at Sasuke, who attempted to back away but only hit Shikamaru. Neji managed to hit one of Sasuke's chakra points perfectly and Sasuke staggered, but recovered quickly as usual. Sasuke leaped high into the air, then darted behind Naruto and thrust his Chidori into his back. Naruto screamed and fell to the ground, then became angry at his weakness and went into his tailed-beast form, sprouting one orange, bubbly tail. He made a few shadow clones and moved quickly to scratch Sasuke across his chest. Two of the clones created a Rasengan in Naruto's hand, and Naruto sped towards Sasuke as fast as he could. Shikamaru trapped Sasuke with his shadow possession. Naruto hit Sasuke in the stomach with a straight blow of Rasengan. Shikamaru released his possession, then Sasuke blacked out and hit the ground. He sat up a few moments later.

"Wai... Wait. I've h-had enough." Sasuke stated with a raised open hand.

"Who are _you_ to tell us when _you've_ had enough?!" Sakura yelled at him.

"I-I will retreat now, or else I will die. You'll thank me for this someday."

"Thank? What the hell are you talking about?!" She was interrupted when she realized he disappeared, like last time. They reported back to Tsunade and told her what happened.

"Well, I am glad none of you were severely injured. But yes, once again, that is strange how he can disappear like that. I wonder where he is gaining his strength and training from now if he killed Orochimaru years ago." Tsunade said.

"I guess we won't find out until we see him again, or maybe longer." Sakura replied.

"Yes, true. Well I guess you are all free to go. This time, though, I want you to train instead of wasting your time. You all could have been killed if he was telling the truth. I don't want any of that to happen to any of you. Therefore, you must train hard! I order you to! Good day." They all walked outside of the building and started talking.

"Jeez, doesn't she think we know that already? I think we are perfectly capable of figuring all that out ourselves." Naruto stated irritably.

"Yes, yes, we know Naruto. We know." Neji said, being his irritable self.

"Well, why don't we start now, and work on our teamwork skills? Because, although we are all highly skilled Jonin, even Naruto for crying out loud! No offense, Naruto... We are skilled ninjas, but we all have room for improvement, am I right?" Sakura said with increasing enthusiasm.

"Yeah. You know what? That touched my heart there. We do have room for improvement!" Naruto said with excitement. After that, they all went to the training grounds and worked on their areas that needed improvement and their teamwork. They decided to come back there every day at the same time for at least 2 hours until they felt the need for such a thing no longer existed. Naruto, of course, enjoyed training much more than the others, so he trained at home also. Nothing else came up about Sasuke after that, but they continued for about a month, then unanimously decided it was no longer needed. They all met up at Ichiraku again that same day.

"Sooo, Hinata." Sakura began.

"What?" Hinata asked.

"Well, when are you two going to tell your dad about your relationship?"

"Well, Sakura, I'm just s-scared about it. If my dad knew, he'd either hunt Naruto down himself or j-just force me to stop dating him. Or, y-you know, both."

"Well I guess I see your point. But even when you both turn 18, he can still hunt him down. I think it'd be better to just get it over with now. And so what if he makes you two 'break up'? He won't have that much control for very long. You could just date behind his back anyways, like you are now. It's not like much will change."

"Wow, Sakura. That's... You've been on a roll lately with those inspirational speeches, haven't you?" Naruto commented.

"Hmm... I haven't really noticed. But I guess, yeah." Sakura replied.

"You know, Hinata, maybe we should go tell your dad soon. I'm sure we can be prepared for whatever he will do."

"Hmm... Maybe you're both right. I agree. How about we t-tell him in a few days, Naruto?"

"Sure."

"Hey, Gaara, is there something wrong? You haven't said anything." Sakura asked, concerned.

"Oh. I'm fine. I was just listening, really. And there didn't seem to be anything I could have said." He replied.

"Oh... Wanna go back to my house?"

"Oooooh, gonna get some, huh?" Naruto asked Gaara excitedly, but jokingly.

"No, I don't mean like that." Sakura said irritably, glaring at him.

"Damn..." Gaara muttered in an almost joking way.

Naruto and Gaara started laughing.

"Guys, stop being perverts! UGH!" Sakura yelled in an annoyed voice.

"Heh.. They're j-just being guys, Sakura. C-Calm down." Hinata told her, hiding a smile.

"Well, it's just annoying."

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry, Sakura." Gaara said with a smile.

Naruto thought to himself, "Wow, that's the first time I've ever seen Gaara laugh. I think that might be the first time he's laughed in his whole life. Sakura sure has changed him..."

"Well, anyway, it's getting late. So, let's go, you pervs." Sakura said.

"Haha, of course. Three-way!" Naruto replied jokingly.

"Ugh, I'm done with this!"

"Jeez I was just joking around, I mean. When's the next time we're all gonna be together and free of any missions like this? I mean, maybe tomorrow, but you never know. I'm just living it up while I can, you know Sakura?"

"Yeah. I suppose I'll have to accept that. Really, though, we should all go home now."

"Yep! Let's go Hinata!"

"Okay you know nothing is gonna happen, right?" She smiled.

"Yes, yes Hinata. I'm not that stupid."

"Hahaha, sucks for you." Gaara laughed again.

"Okay, nothing's gonna happen with us either." Sakura also laughed.

"SUCKS FOR YOUUU, HAHAHA!" Naruto yelled and they all laughed.

"I think Jiraiya's pervy personality has really sunken into you, Naruto."

"Well, I wouldn't be surprised."

"Neither would I." She smiled.


	7. Red on Pink Chapter 7

**Red on Pink – A GaaSaku Fanfic (Chapter 7)**

Continued from last time:

"I think Jiraiya's pervy personality has really sunken into you, Naruto. "

"Well, I wouldn't be surprised."

"Neither would I. " She smiled.

As Sakura and Gaara were walking home, Sakura said to Gaara, "Hey, you know, I think that's the first time I've seen you laugh."

"I think it's the first time I _have_ laughed." Gaara stated joyfully.

"Well, that's nice, then. I think you've changed a lot. It's good, though, you know?"

"You know what, Sakura?"

"What?"

"It's because of you that I'm different. You know that, right?"

"Well, I guess I haven't thought into it recently, but... I suppose that's true."

Gaara embraced her and told her he loved her. Sakura was surprised but she replied with the same statement. They kissed outside her door then walked inside and went to sleep.

"Hey, N-Naruto, I think we should t-tell him." Hinata whispered to Naruto as they approached her front door.

"Tell who what?" Naruto asked obliviously.

"Ugh. We should tell my d-dad about 'us', you know?"

"Oh, yeah. I almost forgot about that. Yes, we should."

Hinata walked inside and her dad asked where she had been.

"Well, I was w-with Sakura at Ichiraku. And N-Naruto."

"Naruto?! What business do you have with him?"

She sighed and said, "D-Dad, we have to tell you s-something."

"_We_?!"

Naruto walked in and put his arm around Hinata as he boldly told her dad about their relationship.

"Hinata, Hinata, Hinata... How many times have I told you that you are _not_ allowed to have a _boyfriend_?!"

"Dad, I'm seventeen years old. I haven't had a boyfriend my whole life. I've obeyed your rules up until now, but I love him, dad. And he loves me too. If you can't see what is going on between us, and if you won't let me date him, then I am leaving this house and running from you. Because you would be a horrible father if you didn't let me, at least this one time, have a boyfriend. For once in my life! Don't you even know what it's like to be young and in love? Or are you just so heartless that you don't even have any emotions?"

"Y-y-you didn't stutter... once... that whole t-time..."

"No I didn't, Dad. Because I'm serious. I'm done with all your crap. Now, you just have to answer this one question that will decide if I am to stay here with you until I turn eighteen. Will you let me date Naruto?"

Hiashi paused for a moment, then sighed and replied, "Yes, Hinata, I will. _However,_ you will not do anything with him where I can see you. And if you go anywhere with him, you must be home by nine PM. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, dad."

"What about you, Naruto?"

"Yes sir, I understand." Naruto replied with am audible gulp.

Naruto and Hinata walked upstairs into Hinata's bedroom.

"You know, he just said don't do anything where he can see us, right?" Naruto said.

"Heh, yeah, he did. But we shouldn't do anything like that yet. I don't think I'm ready..." Hinata replied.

"Weeelllll, I can guide you through it." Naruto was somehow confident, though he had never engaged in a sexual act before.

"But, I... I don't know, just, no." She didn't want to reject him, but she had to.

"Come on, Hinata. There's a first for everything, right? Why not now?"

"We're in my house, Naruto, and my dad's awake."

"Well, why don't we just go to my house?"

"My dad's not stupid. He'd know what's going on."

"Tell him you'll spend the night with Sakura. Hell, you know what? Maybe we should just spend the night with her. So you will be telling the truth."

"I-I don't know, Naruto. Wouldn't she want to be alone with Gaara?"

"She's been alone with him for the past month. For all we know, maybe she'd want to have some company every once in a while."

"I guess, Naruto. I'll go call her."

She went into a separate room while Naruto lied on the bed.

*ring ring ring ring*

"Who the hell could that be?" Gaara asked irritably, having been woken up by the phone.

"I don't know, I'll answer it." Sakura said tiredly.

"Ugh, hello?" She asked when she answered the phone.

"Hi, Sakura."

"Oh. Hey, Hinata, what's up?"

"Well, we told my dad about our relationship, for one, and my dad is pretty mad, so I was wondering if we could spend the night at your house. Just for this one night."

"Sure, Hinata. I'll go unlock the door. You guys just come in and lock the door back, and you know where my guest room is. I'm gonna be asleep, though."

"Okay, Sakura. Thanks a lot."

"You're welcome." Sakura yawned.

"Well, I'll let you get back to sleep. Thanks again."

Sakura hung up the phone, unlocked the door, and went back to sleep.

Hinata hung up and walked back into her room.

"Hey, Naruto. She said we could spend the night there. And she's gonna be asleep."

"Oooooh, perfect." Naruto smiled mischeviously.

"Why'd I say that?" Hinata mumbled under her breath, mentally smacking herself on the forehead. "Well, I guess I'll go tell my dad." She said as she walked out of the door and into her dad's room.

"Hey, dad. I'm spending the night with Sakura tonight, so you can cool down a bit."

"Hinata, I'm not stupid. You're going to Naruto's house, aren't you?"

"No. I'm really not. You can call Sakura to make sure I'm going over there."

"Fine, maybe I will."

Her dad calls Sakura.

"Ugh! Who the hell is it this time?!" Sakura yelled, waking Gaara.

"Can you please just quiet down and answer the phone?" Gaara said, surprisingly calm.

"Fine."

"Hello?!" She answered the phone in a rude tone.

"Um, hello, Ms. Haruno." Hiashi said, trying not to lose his temper.

"Oh. Mr. Hyuga?"

"Yes. Hinata tells me she is going over to your house tonight. I am wondering if it is really true."

"Yes, sir. It's true. Sorry for being rude, but I am really tired right now from this long day, and I want to go back to sleep."

"Oh, did I wake you?"

"Yes. I mean, it's not really your fault, but, yeah."

"I apologize. I was just making sure for my daughter's safety."

"It's quite alright, Mr. Hyuga. Good night."

"Good night."

They hung up the phone.

"Okay, dad, believe me now?" Hinata asked her dad irritably, tapping her foot.

"Yes, yes. Go ahead." He replied with a wave of the hand, feeling defeated.

Hinata walked back into her room where Naruto sat on her blue and white striped bed.

"So, can we go?!" Naruto asked excitedly.

"Yes, yes, we can go." She smiled at his excitement.

"Yay!" Naruto said with childlike enthusiasm. Hinata giggled. "Let's go!"

They walked to Sakura's house, which was not too far away. They went inside and locked the door, then lied down on the light pink bed in Sakura's guest room, tired.

"Soo, Hinata." Naruto elbowed her softly.

"Naruto. You know I will say no."

"Come on, Hinata!"

"Well..." She smiled and blushed.

Naruto stood up and took her hands in his, pulling her up along with him. He put his hands on her waist and she put her arms around his neck as they stood there with their foreheads touching, staring into each other's eyes.

"What about now?"

"Naruto-Kun..." She blushed and glanced away.

"You haven't called me that in forever, Hinata-Chan."

"I know. I just f-felt like it."

"So, you wanna do it now?" He put his hands in her back pockets.

"M-maybe..." She blushed furiously.

"We should."

"I-I don't know..."

"Then, maybe I'll have to convince you." He picked her up easily and dropped her on the bed, then leaned over and kissed her, moving his lips over to her ear, then down her neck, and to her collarbone. She continued to turn even redder. Still kneeling at the side of the bed, he lifted her shirt slightly, revealing her stomach, and planted kisses below her belly button, working his way up to the place below her breasts. She grabbed his hands, stopping him before he could pull her shirt up farther.

"What now?" Naruto whined.

"I d-don't want to. I mean, I really do w-want to, but I-I feel like it's not a good idea."

"Please?" Naruto looked at her with big, glistening blue eyes and stuck his lower lip out slightly. She couldn't say no to that face, she knew. Taking the silence as an answer, Naruto continued pulling up her shirt slowly, and Hinata fought the urge to halt his advances. He finally revealed her breasts, though covered partially by her bra, and stopped for a moment, ogling at them.

"S-Stop staring!" Hinata blushed self-consciously.

"O-Okay. I'm sorry." He asked her to remove the bra, and she did, reaching over and dropping it to the floor. Naruto tentatively moved his hand over one of her breasts and paused, silently asking for permission. She nodded, if reluctantly, and he tenderly placed his hand there and squeezed it, feeling a shiver go through him. She quivered as well, feeling exposed but also nervously thrilled. Naruto had no idea what he was doing, but decided to let his – very animalistic – instincts guide him, and he gave himself over to them. He kissed the area in the middle of her chest, and then moved his kisses over her breast and finally kissed her nipple, gaining an involuntary gasp from her.

Hinata was very confused at this moment, torn between two desires. Naruto, however, only had one thing on his mind, and he wasn't going to stop without much protest. And she knew that if she stopped him now, he would only be upset, so she also resolved to give herself over to her instincts. He kissed her again and gazed lovingly into her eyes for a moment when he backed away, and then focused on removing both of their shirts completely, dropping them to the floor beside him. She absorbed the sight of his muscular chest and stomach, turning a brilliant scarlet.

Naruto then stripped to his undergarments, making no attempt to hide his bulging crotch, causing Hinata to nearly faint. She averted her eyes, though, and Naruto put a warm hand on her stomach, and she relished the heat it granted to her comparatively cool abdomen. He moved to embrace her, pressing their nude chests together. Her knees had been up and pressed together, but he moved the nearest leg outward, placing her foot on the floor, and began kissing her exposed outer thigh. He moved the kisses to her inner thigh, ever so slowly creeping upwards, and reached another hand out to massage her breast.

"O-Okay, Naruto. Fine."

"Fine what?"

"I-I'll h-have... _it_... with y-you."

"Yay!" Naruto exclaimed happily, and then they made love.

"What the hell?" Gaara said irritably, awoken for the third time that night.

"W-What?" Sakura asked sleepily.

"Shh, shh. Do you hear that?"

"Hear wh –?"

"Shh!" Gaara snapped.

'Okay, okay, jeez.' Sakura thought.

'What the hell are they doing in there?' Gaara thought.

They heard thumping noises coming from across the hallway.

"I'm going to see what they are doing." Gaara stated, and stood from the bed.

"Umm, Gaara..." Sakura stopped him.

"What?" He asked, trying not to sound rude.

"I-I'll come with you."

"Okay, we can both go."

They tip-toed over to the guest room and discovered the door was unlocked. Gaara cracked the door open and they both looked in. Based on what they saw, they were probably both scarred for life.

"G-Gaara?" Sakura whispered.

"Yeah?" Gaara whispered back.

"Th-That wasn't my imagination, right?"

"N-no. I saw it too."

"Well, I'm going back to bed." She said, wide-eyed.

"Maybe we should do what they're doing. I mean, we might as well."

"Really? Pervert..." She couldn't help but smile, though.

"Well? You have to get it over with some time, right?"

"I guess so. But, I mean, I'm not ready."

"Look, you just let me do all the work, okay?"

"Well... I mean... I don't..." She tried to find a way to reject him.

"Come on, Sakura. You know you want to." He smiled seductively at her.

"So? Wanting to do it and actually doing it are two different things."

"Sakura-Chan." He whispered, in that irresistible seductive voice of his, into her ear. Then he nibbled it as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Well, I suppose we can." She barely smiled, trying to hide her acceptance.

He threw her on the bed, and then he...

This scene has been edited out for your convenience! :)

Read the next chapter to find out what happens!


	8. Red on Pink Chapter 8

**Red on Pink – A GaaSaku Fanfic (Chapter 8)**

Continued from last time:

"Well, I suppose we can." She barely smiled, trying to hide her acceptance.

Gaara pushed her on the bed then immediately kissed her. Sakura quietly gasped, but allowed him to take advantage of her. She let his tongue roam her mouth while his hands did the same over her body. They tightened around her waist as he pulled her closer. She felt her heart beating hard and fast, and she felt his hands moving; one down her back, and the other playing with the bottom of her shirt. He pulled her even closer to him, while moving his hand under her shirt. Sakura wrapped her arms around his neck and dug her nails into his upper back. She felt him begin to lift her shirt, then she did the same to him.

Their shirts were off, and Sakura stared at Gaara's chest, then she pulled him back into yet another kiss. Gaara pulled at her bra and removed it with ease, then Sakura could feel him pulling on her pants. He moved his kisses to her neck, then began sucking. Sakura moaned quietly. She could feel the heat emanating from his body, and they were so close that she could feel their hearts beating together as one. Gaara unzipped her pants and slid them off. He smiled when she gasped as he played with the fabric of her underwear, then eventually pulled those off as well. Sakura began to panic slightly until he reached down and slid a long, slender finger into her. She moaned as he fingered her, and became very wet, to his obvious liking.

She felt a second finger inside of her and she moaned again, then Gaara began to kiss her and she felt something on her inner thigh. She had not noticed that he had taken his pants off as well, but she forgot about it when his tongue darted into her mouth and he lightly pulled her hair. Sakura also pulled his hair slightly as she ran her fingers through it. Gaara stopped for a second and pulled away from their kiss. They stared into each other's eyes in an almost romantic way. She didn't even notice that he was moving himself up toward her lower regions...

Then, in an instant, he was inside of her. Sakura was shocked at first, then she felt the pain. She whimpered and felt herself on the verge of crying. Gaara began sucking on her neck again and moved slowly in and out, telling her to relax and that he would be gentle. Sakura felt her lower stomach throb with intense pain, and she wasn't sure how long she could go on like this, but after a few minutes the pain decreased almost completely. Though she was still crying, she began to feel the pleasure, so she wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist, pulling him deeper inside of her. She moaned loudly. He stopped sucking on her neck and she began sucking on his. She bit it softly and heard him groan quietly as if he didn't want her to hear, but he couldn't help it.

Gaara started moving faster and she moaned with each thrust, and then once again he picked up the pace. Sakura arched her back and began bucking her hips against him, pulling him ever deeper. Then he began to slow down. Even though he was not tired, he wanted to see how she would react. And, as he thought, she begged him to go faster. Gaara did as she asked and moved even faster than before. Sakura winced, but didn't complain. He pulled out a little bit and slammed into her as hard as he possibly could. She screamed his name and moaned loudly with intense pleasure. Gaara moved in and out of her harder and faster still.

He gave it all he had, meanwhile sucking her neck and running his hands through her soft pink hair. Sakura finally reached her orgasm, feeling the heat and shivers spread throughout her body, but still wanted more. Eventually he slowed his thrusts slightly as he began to tire. He slammed into her one final time with all of his strength, and then came. It felt to Sakura like an explosion inside of her, but it was indescribably amazing. Sakura moaned one last time during his climax and they both noticed they were breathing very hard, and were very tired. Gaara turned over and laid next to her on the bed, then she rested her head on his chest. He smiled and kissed her lightly, knowing that neither of them would ever forget that night. As they relaxed, they both immediately fell unconscious with complete exhaustion. But, inside, they knew it was completely worth it.

Meanwhile, Hinata and Naruto stopped what they were doing and heard thumping noises from across the hall. Naruto went to see what was going on in Sakura's room, while Hinata stayed in the guest room, too tired to bother with curiosity. He came back and told Hinata what was going on and she smiled. It was quiet, but Hinata decided to talk again.  
"Hey, N-Naruto? Th-That was... That was..." Hinata tried to say as she sat up on the bed.  
"What?" Naruto asked, smirking.  
"That was nice, y-you know." Referring to the sex they had. She smiled and laid down with her hands behind her head.  
"Yeah. Thanks. You're good at it too, in my opinion."  
"Well, yeah. It was _definitely_ my first time."  
"Yeah, me too. "  
"Uh huh." Hinata said, feeling the situation was getting awkward.  
"Well, let's talk about something else." Apparently he agreed.  
"Or we can just go to sleep, b-because it's really late."  
"Oh, right. Good idea." He smiled, plopped on the bed next to her, and they fell asleep. The next morning they all woke up and Kakashi informed them that Lady Tsunade wanted them into her office.  
"Good morning, you all." Tsunade said as they walked through her office door.  
"Ahh, good morning, Granny." Naruto said, yawning.  
"Good morning, Lady Tsunade." Sakura smiled, then held her stomach tightly when she gained a painful reminder of last night, but quickly recovered.  
"G-Good morning" Hinata also smiled.  
Gaara stood there quietly, impatiently shifting from side to side.  
"Now I'm going to call in Neji, Ino, and Shikamaru as well. Only if you all agree first, though." Tsunade told them.  
"Lemme guess. It's about Sasuke again, isn't it?" Gaara asked, even though all of them already knew.

"Well, yes. He really hasn't done anything, but he is lurking around the forest outside of our borders. We just want to know what he's doing. We would hire some spies, but I figured you guys might want some action because it's been months since you have gone on any missions."

"Well, I guess so." Sakura said unenthusiastically.

"I think we should go, Sakura!" Naruto said with the opposite attitude.

"I-I don't know."

"It's alright if you don't want to, I was only offering." Tsunade said apologetically.

"No, no, it's fine. I just... I don't know. I'll go. What about you, Gaara?"

"Yeah, I will go if you go." He replied with a shrug and a quick smile that soon faded.

"And I'll g-go if Naruto-Kun goes." Hinata said shyly and blushed.

"Good, then we all agree. Let me just call in the rest of the group." Tsunade said.

She sent someone to fetch Ino, Shikamaru, and Neji, who were a little surprised to see the rest of the group there when they walked in.

"So, what is this all about?" Shikamaru asked with a yawn.

Neji stood there with an angry look on his face.

"Yeah, I'd like to know, too! I was in the middle of my beauty sleep!" Ino yelled.

"Like you have any beauty to sleep for!" Sakura said irritably, and they instantly began arguing until Lady Tsunade was forced to break them up.

"Ladies! Calm down!" Tsunade yelled at them. They both immediately stopped arguing and receded from each other, embarrassed.

"S-Sorry, Lady Tsunade." Sakura said, feeling ashamed. Ino also apologized.

"I'm not the one you should be saying sorry to." Tsunade replied with raised eyebrows.

"Oh, right. Sorry for what I said, Ino." Sakura told her.

"Yeah, I'm sorry for arguing with you, and being annoying, I guess." Ino replied.

"Thank you. Now, will you all please listen?" Tsunade asked calmly.

"Yes, ma'am!" They replied.

"Okay. Well, I will just tell you what I told them. Sasuke is acting very suspicious right now, lurking in the forest around our borders. I was about to just hire some spies, but I felt you all would like a mission, as you haven't had one for a few months now, right?"

"Yeah, makes sense." Shikamaru said.

"But I kinda don't want to go." Ino said apologetically, "I mean if it's not a very important mission."

"Yes, yes, but it can turn into an important mission. Because we're talking about the guy who killed the most famous and powerful Uchiha in the fire country, or in other words, Itachi. The eight tails also barely escaped being killed by him. And he killed Danzo, and many others. You see what I'm getting at here?"

"If you think about it, I'm kinda surprised we've defeated him at all." Naruto said.

"But, you know, he also might have gotten defeated on purpose." Neji added.

"But why would he do that?" Sakura asked.

"I don't know, but it's still possible." Neji stated.

"Okay, okay, guys, you aren't making any progress standing here and making scenarios. Why don't you get going!" Tsunade said, trying not to sound rude, but obviously tired of them all hanging out in her office.

"Okay, jeez." Naruto mumbled and walked out of the room with everyone else following. They walked to the gates of the village, split up into four groups and passed out headsets, and started from there, surveying the borders. After only around half an hour of searching, Ino found him sitting by a tree.

"I swear this is the third time we've caught him resting, I think we're just lucky." She whispered to the others wearing headsets.

"Oh, you found him?" Sakura asked.

"Well, duh." Ino rolled her eyes.

"Okay, okay, where are you?"

"I'm around the very back of the village, near the Hokage's mountain, on the left side when you're facing it."

"We'll be there soon."

The rest of the group hurried to Ino's location. But, as they got there, Sasuke disappeared instantly, and reappeared behind them with his katana at Sakura's neck. Gaara and Naruto, both having deep feelings for her, became blind with rage. They lunged at him every chance they got, yet he still somehow eluded them. Then, Sakura decided to try something new. With his katana at her neck, she didn't have much range of movement, but she kicked him right between the legs as hard as she could. His grip loosened on the sword and he let go of Sakura, trying desperately not to show pain, but miserably failing. Sakura took the katana from his hand as he fell to his knees, pointed it at his neck, and he surrendered.

"W-W-Wait. Ugh, wait, please." Sasuke held up his hands.

"Where ya gonna disappear to this time, pretty boy?" Sakura asked him with a smirk.

"I-I..." Sasuke couldn't seem to pull himself together at the moment.

"Well?!"

"Sakura, I miss you!" He yelled, then immediately clapped his hands over his mouth.

"Wha –?" All of them were surprised, but Sakura more so. She lowered the katana.

"I-I don't know, Sakura. I know I've been acting," He gulped, "Dumb. The whole time we've known each other. And I'm sorry for leaving you that night. I'm sorry for acting like an asshole since we met. I'm sorry for kidnapping Naruto and all this crap the past year. The truth is, I just wanted to see you all. Even if you do want to kick my ass, because I know I deserve this."

"Sa-Sasuke.." Sakura barely escaped tearing up.

"Don't fall for his tricks, Sakura!" Naruto yelled.

"Wha –?" Sakura asked, confused by all the drama.

"It's not a trick, you idiot."

"Idiot?" Naruto was a little surprised as Sasuke hadn't called him that since their childhood.

"Nevermind. Sakura, I want to come back to Konoha."

"You know you can't do that! They'll throw you in jail and probably kill you just for stepping foot inside our gates!"

"Well, can't there be some way to prove I've changed?"

"I'll go ask the Hokage, but you better get the fuck out of my sight before I change my mind on your pitiful ass. And meet us back here tomorrow at the same time."

"Will do, Sakura. Will do." He walked away instead of his usual disappearing.

Sakura and the rest of the group walked back to Konoha, discussing if they should let Sasuke come back or not. Before they knew it, they were inside the fifth Hokage's office, with her staring at them as if asking why the hell they were in her office without reason.

"Did you come back to tell me what he was doing in the forest?" She asked them.

"Well, sort of... I guess..." Sakura said. She didn't quite know how to explain it.

"Come on. Out with it."

"Um, well, we found Sasuke."

"And?"

"At first he held his sword to my neck like he was going to kill me. He seems to have gotten very good at dodging, though I suppose he overlooked the fact that he was holding me, so I was right there in front and I could hurt him... Of course I took advantage of the situation, and kicked him between the legs; therefore I stole his sword and threatened him with it. He immediately surrendered, and afterwards, he... He just blurted out that he missed me, and apologized for everything, and I mean _everything_. I still don't know whether or not it was a trick, although if you were there, I think we can all safely say it was extremely unlikely. So I told him I would ask you about it, and ask if there was a way he could prove that he has changed."

Tsunade pondered the situation for many minutes. Until finally she said, "I think he could be telling the truth. Though, as the Hokage, I must be cautionary for the sake of my people. When you see him again, you can tell him that he will be allowed back into the Leaf Village. _But_..." She held up a finger for emphasis, "He will be placed under heavy surveillance, and if he makes one suspicious move towards _any_ of the people in this village, he _will _be arrested, and probably killed, without mercy. Hopefully that will be enough of a warning for him to behave properly."

"Yes, Lady Tsunade. I will inform him." Sakura bowed quickly and left the room with the others. Ino, Shikamaru, and Neji went home, while the rest walked to Sakura's house to hang out. By this time, the evening sun was setting, and they all grew tired as the night wore on, though none of them wanted to admit it. They enjoyed the time they spent together. And the two couples eventually fell asleep on their beds, hand in hand.


	9. Red on Pink Chapter 9

**Red on Pink – A GaaSaku Fanfic (Chapter 9)**

Continued from last time:

By this time, the evening sun was setting, and they all grew tired as the night wore on, though none of them wanted to admit it. They enjoyed the time they spent together. And the two couples eventually fell asleep on their beds, hand in hand.

The next day they went to have their meeting with Sasuke in the forest. He was leaning on a tree when they arrived.

"Well at least you showed up on time." Sakura said.

"Hey, I'm not the one that's always late. That would be Naruto." Sasuke replied.

"Hey! I'm not late anymore! At least not all the time." Naruto said.

They all laughed for a second, then the mood became serious.

"So, what did the Hokage say?" Sasuke asked.

"Lady Tsunade said that you may come into our village, but you will be placed under heavy surveillance, and she said if you make any suspicious moves, you will be killed." Sakura replied.

"Okay, I think I am ready to accept that."

"Good. 'Cause, to be honest, I don't want them to have you killed." She smiled.

"Well that's nice to know. Thank you, Sakura."

"Alright then, let's go home!" Naruto said excitedly.

"Wait. That reminds me, where will I live?" Sasuke asked.

"I think we will all just go talk to Tsunade about it. I'm sure she may want to see you anyway."

When they arrived outside her office, with many guards in tow, they decided Sasuke should stay outside until the right time, so Naruto, Gaara, Sakura, and Hinata walked into Tsunade's office.

"What are you all doing here so early?" Tsunade asked them.

"Well, we met up with Sasuke. And we had some questions." Sakura replied. Naruto knocked on the door from the inside and Sasuke walked in.

"My, my... How you've grown, Sasuke." Tsunade said, surprised, "Why have you decided to turn to our side all of a sudden?"

"Well, all this time, since I killed Itachi, I've secretly awaited the right time to return. And it never really came. The Akatsuki controlled me for a short time after Itachi's death, in a way. Not like that's an excuse for anything, but anyways, I'm prepared to do whatever possible to gain the trust of everyone here in this village again."

"Well, Sasuke, the metaphorical wall of trust has become completely shattered, and will take a large amount of time, as you know, to rebuild."

"Yes, ma'am, I know all too well. But no matter how difficult it may be, I must pay for my foolishness."

"On to other matters. What were your questions, Sakura?"

"Oh, yes, um... We were wondering where Sasuke is going to live." Sakura said.

"Yes, yes. I completely forgot about that situation. I believe, um... Sasuke, how much money do you have?"

"None." he replied. "I was a bit of a nomad up until now."

"Ah, okay. Let's see..." She shuffled through some papers scattered on her desk, "Here we go! There is a fully furnished house for sale pretty close to your friends. But since you have no money. Well, if you all are willing enough." She turned to the others, "And if you believe that Sasuke really has changed. I suppose I could move him in for free. It's a pretty cheap house anyway."

"Yes we do, Lady Tsunade." They said excitedly.

"Okay then, Sasuke. Looks like you have a home now. There will be guards outside your door at all times, though."

"Yes!" Sasuke exclaimed excitedly, and they all turned and stared at him with shock, because he'd never shown much excitement before in their lives. Then they all laughed. Tsunade finished the paper work and handed the key to Sasuke with no further questions. She gave them directions to the house from her building, and they headed off in a hurry; they were all obviously curious as to where he would reside.

They noticed it was a one-story house when they arrived, not that they had expected any different. It was free, after all. Sasuke opened the door and was the first to see what it looked like. The floor was black tile, and the walls were painted black as well. It seemed fitting for someone like Sasuke. To the right, the living room had one dark red couch facing the average- sized television sitting against the wall, and to the left there was the kitchen, appropriately themed red and black to match the rest of the house. It was small, but it sufficed for one person. Straight forward was the door that led into the only bedroom in the house, which held a plain bed with black wood and red sheets. The bathroom, themed black, was in the far right corner of the house, between the living room and bedroom.

"Wow, Sasuke. This is almost better than my house. It's bigger than it looks from the outside, isn't it?" Sakura commented when she walked inside.

"Well, we all know it's better than my house. It's not even a house." Naruto said in an almost sad voice.

"Naruto, it's okay. I like your place just fine." Hinata said, cheering him up.

"Thank you, Hinata." He smiled.

"Hmm, it is nice. It's better than where I lived as a kid." He attempted to bring back his childhood memories in his mind, but Sakura interrupted him.

"Sasuke, why don't you forget about all that? I don't want you to be sad."

"Ah, don't worry, I won't. I'm too happy right now for anything to ruin it." He smiled.

"Well, Sasuke, I hope you are happy in your new house. Sakura and I are going to head home." Gaara told him.

"Uh, what? But I want t –" Sakura began.

"No, no. Trust me, let's go." Gaara grabbed her hand and began walking to the door.

"Ah, yeah, okay. Well, I'll see ya later then." Sasuke called after them.

"I think we'll be heading off too, Sasuke. Have fun!" Naruto told him.

"Have fun with wha –?" He began to ask, but Naruto and Hinata already walked out of the door.

"Ooookay. I guess I'll just look around, then."

When Gaara and Sakura got home, Sakura immediately began to worry about Sasuke. "I wonder if he'll be okay all alone there. Do you think we should –?"

"No, no, Sakura. He'll be just fine. Besides, I want to spend this time with you. Alone." He smiled seductively and looked straight into her eyes.

"Well, I guess you're right. And I do want to spend time with you." She also smiled.

They kissed and sat on the couch, with Gaara's arm around her, and watched TV for a while. "I am glad we are together." Gaara stated randomly.

"Well, Naruto's the one that talked me into it. We should really be thanking him."

"Haha. Who would have thought? Naruto."

"Yeah. I see what you mean, although he was only thinking of you. I think he got what he wanted. Just to see you happy."

"He's my best friend, you know, of course he's gonna look out for me. But I didn't really expect him to help me with romance and stuff like this."

"I think he's just an all-around good person anyway. He helps anywhere he can."

"Okay, enough talk. Let's do other things." He chuckled and then smiled seductively again as he reached down to put his hand in her skirt and started fingering her...

"Ah, do you think Sasuke is okay?" Naruto asked when they were halfway down the street.

"What the heck, Naruto? We just left." Hinata replied with a laugh.

"Well, I don't know. Hmm..."

"Do you really want to go back already?"

"Well, yes." Naruto smiled sheepishly.

"Okay, okay. Let's go, then." Hinata said as the turned around. 'Although I was kind of hoping for a little time alone.' She thought and sighed.

Sasuke heard a knock at his door and he already knew it was going to be Naruto, so when he opened it, he was not surprised at all. "Oh. Hi Naruto. Why'd you come back so soon? Not that it's a bad thing, just –"

"Ah Sasuke. I just wanted to check on you. You know, I still consider you one of my best friends."

"Yes, thank you. You're still my best friend, too. That reminds me, Naruto, why are you and Hinata hanging out now?"

"Well, because we're kinda together." Naruto smiled and put his arm around Hinata.

"Wow. So much has changed since I've been gone, huh?"

"Haha yeah. A lot."

"So, let me guess. Sakura's with someone too, isn't she?"

"I though you would have figured it out on your own earlier when Gaara said they were going home. Or maybe you just didn't think they lived together. But he did lead her out by her hand."

"Ah. Yeah." Sasuke sighed heavily.

"Is there something wrong, Sa –?"

"Nothing's fucking wrong! I mean, nothing's wrong. Sorry for yelling. I just, you know... I kind of ... Ugh, nevermind."

"Kind of what, Sasuke? Come on, you can tell me."

"No. No, I can't. Maybe another time."

"Well, okay then. Do you need help with anything here? Like moving stuff or something?"

"No. I think everything's fine where it is. Um, but I think you could help by just leaving me alone for the rest of the day. Not that I don't enjoy your company after all these years, but I need some time to think by myself right now."

"Think? Ah, nevermind, I won't ask. Well, bye." Naruto barely walked one step away before he was stopped by Sasuke.

"Umm, Sasuke? Didn't you just tell me to leave?"

Sasuke hugged him and thanked him, then let go and backed away as if he was embarrassed. Naruto did not quite know what he was being thanked for, though, and did not get time to ask, for Sasuke disappeared shortly after.

"Well, how about we just go home now, Naruto. You got what you wanted, right?" Hinata said.

"I-I suppose."

They walked home and Naruto stayed up half the night wondering why Sasuke thanked him, even though Hinata told him to calm down and stop worrying multiple times before she had to go home for it was getting close to nine. Gaara and Sakura also went to sleep. When Sakura woke up, she immediately went to check on Sasuke to see what he was up to. She walked to his house and knocked on his door, and she was surprised to notice that he was very happy to see her. Though she already knew he had a complete attitude change, she also knew it would take some adjusting to.

"So, Sakura. I think I need to have a talk with you."

"Um, aren't we already having a talk?"

"No, I mean... Just listen." He sighed. "I love you, Sakura." She gaped at him. "Sure, when we were young, you loved me and I didn't love you back. And, I'm pretty sure it's the opposite now. But, I'm wondering if you even like me anymore. Because, ah, I don't know. Can you just answer that, at least?"

"Sasuke..." She was touched, but also surprised, "You know, I do actually like you still. But what Gaara and I have is really special, and we've been dating for months. I don't think I want to give that all up for some past childhood love, that just recently turned good, after more than half your life was spent being a criminal. Sorry, but if you would have decided to turn good around August or something, you'd be in luck. But, seriously, Sasuke. I, um, I'm sorry. But this is the most I can give you." She kissed him on the cheek.

"Sakura, I don't think I'm gonna take no for an answer." He pinned her against the wall.

"Sasuke! Sasuke, seriously, be rational about this! Do you want to die or something? Remember they can and _will_ kill you."

He sighed and receded. "I'm sorry, Sakura. I don't know what came over me. I-I think I still need to work on controlling my emotions and not letting them control me." His expression was one of guilt and sadness.

"Sasuke, it's fine. Besides sort of wishing for that for my whole life... I, of all people, would know what it's like to love someone who doesn't love me back. If I was in your place right now, I probably would have done the same thing."

"Really?"

"No." She smiled, "But still, at least I forgive you." She hugged him tightly.

"Thanks, Sakura. I feel a little better now. Um, I was wondering. How did you and Gaara decide to be together?"

"Well, since around a year ago, I've been feeling kind of lonely. After a while I was talking to him a lot, and I started to like him. Naruto was the main cause, really. He properly introduced us and he's the one that talked me into asking Gaara out."

"Naruto..." He said angrily but quietly.

"Um, what?"

"Nothing! Nothing. I think we're done here. Thanks, Sakura." He pushed her out of the door and shut it.

"Ugh! How rude! After all I've done for him!" Sakura yelled and stormed home angrily.

"Naruto, you will pay for taking Sakura away from me." Sasuke growled to himself as he plotted his revenge.


	10. Red on Pink Chapter 10

**Red on Pink – A GaaSaku Fanfic (Chapter 10)**

Continued from last time:

"Naruto, you will pay for taking Sakura away from me." Sasuke growled to himself as he plotted his revenge. Sasuke paced back and forth in his living room, trying to decide what he would do. He imagined it would be difficult, thinking of a way to exact revenge on his best friend. They were, however, rivals. But Sasuke had changed, and couldn't bring himself to hurting his friend in any way, especially since he was trying to gain their trust at the moment.

"But maybe... Yes! I could get revenge on Gaara! Though, how would I manage that? Gaara is so much more powerful than I, and that would spark a fire in the leaf village, and the sand. I'd be killed if I tried anything." He mumbled to himself quietly as he paced his living room. He figured he'd just wait until the security loosened up a bit and allowed him the opportunity.

Meanwhile, Sakura reached her house quickly after she stormed away, despite unnecessarily stomping her feet and wasting time. She lied down on the couch and thought about what had happened with Sasuke, and wondered if she really did still like him, or if she said it all out of pity. "It's just so strange." she murmured as she retrieved the memories shoved in the back of her mind from the days of Team 7. Their old team picture was also found after a little bit of searching in the attic. She had shut it away up there in order to keep her from thinking about it many years ago. After what seemed like hours of reminiscing, Sakura suddenly realized Gaara wasn't in the house. She tried desperately to find him, for this was one of the times she needed him most. He didn't answer his phone no matter how many times she tried calling – neither did his siblings – and she looked for him everywhere in the village, but he was nowhere to be found.

She felt the tears burning her cheeks as they streaked her face, she tasted the saltiness on her lips, and she felt the sting in her eyes. Sakura believed the one person that meant everything to her was gone, until a faint knock was heard at her door. She rushed to open it, hoping and praying that it was Gaara, but came to quick disappointment. It was only Naruto.

"Sakura-Chan! Wh-What's wrong?" He asked her caringly. She was unable to form words at the moment, so she just shook her head. Naruto wrapped her in his arms and held her until she could restrict the flow of tears for at least a moment, which took more time than he expected. "You wanna tell me what happened?"

"G-G-Gaara's gone... j-just disappeared... I... e-everywhere... c-couldn't find him." She sighed. Her speech was broken at the moment; she just didn't want to face the facts.

"Gaara? Gone? Since when?" Naruto's bright blue eyes widened with worry.

She sniffed, "I don't know. I didn't even r-realize until hours after I c-came home."

Naruto sighed as well. He didn't know what happened to Gaara either, but he was worried enough to get involved. Sakura continued to sob into Naruto's jacket for many minutes more, but he didn't mind; he never would have. They walked to the Hokage's office. Tsunade invited them in immediately, even without an appointment. Sakura was her former student, after all.

"What seems to be the problem today?" She asked them, "And why is Sakura crying?"

"Well, you see, Granny, Gaara is gone. Sakura says she looked for him everywhere and he wouldn't answer his phone. I, personally, think it has something to do with Sasuke. But even if it does, miss, please don't have him assassinated. Gaara isn't part of Konoha anyways." Naruto explained to her with his arm around Sakura. She didn't even care at that point. She didn't care about anything else but finding Gaara.

"Yes, I realize that, but Gaara has much to do with this village and he is very important. He is the Kazekage; the youngest kage in history at that! And you know who you have your arm around right now?" She gestured to Sakura, "He is the most important person in the world to her. I can and _will_ treat this situation with major importance."

Sakura turned her head and sobbed into Naruto's jacket again as he spoke. "I-I know, miss. But Sasuke just came back! He is my best friend besides Gaara, and I don't want to lose him as quickly as I've gotten him. The only reason I think I'd want him killed is if he really did kill Gaara. I don't want Sakura to suffer through that. She probably already wants him dead now, but I'm not going to speak for her."

Sakura sniffed and raised her head, notifying them that she was prepared to speak. "I don't want him dead, just punished, maybe. If it was really him. W-We don't even know if he is the cause of Gaara's disappearance yet, but I intend to find out." For the first time in hours, Sakura, at last, stopped crying. She had a newfound determination to find Gaara, no matter what it took, instead of pitying herself and sobbing like the little girl she was inside.

Sakura and Naruto went to Sasuke's house to see if he was home. As they expected, he was not. They arranged a search party composed of Neji, Hinata, Ino, Shikamaru, Sakura, Kiba, Akamaru, and Naruto. Both Sasuke and Gaara would be searched for, so they split up into two groups, each person in possession of a headset to communicate with one another. The first group was Hinata, Naruto, Ino, and Shikamaru, and the second was Kiba, Akamaru, Sakura, and Neji. The village's borders were, of course, the first place to be searched. They both started at the gates and searched in opposite directions around the village. It took around an hour, and no one was found. They decided to search along the paths to surrounding villages, especially the sand village path.

After another hour of searching, they had no luck. Sakura never gave up, even when the others endlessly insisted on it. She was the only one to keep going when the rest took a break, though she never strayed too far from her group. Her physical being craved rest constantly, but her will was unbreakable. Naruto also had quite a bit of determination, but not near as much as hers. Night was beginning to fall upon them, and all but Sakura and Naruto went home to rest and possibly continue searching the next day if needed. Eventually, though, it became impossible to search any longer, so both Sakura and Naruto were forced to return home.

The next day, Sakura awoke feeling depressed. It had only been a day since she discovered Gaara was missing, but the painful ache of loneliness was already overcoming her. She still needed to find Gaara, or at least some clue to his whereabouts. A little persistence was required, however, for she was not very determined anymore, but she somehow managed. She walked to Sasuke's house, doubtfully dragging her feet. What she found when she finally arrived, though, was _very_ unexpected.


	11. Red on Pink Chapter 11

**Red on Pink – A GaaSaku Fanfic (Chapter 11)**

Continued from last time:

She walked to Sasuke's house, doubtfully dragging her feet. What she found when she finally arrived, though, was _very_ unexpected. Sakura knocked on the door and waited. After around a minute of waiting, she decided to just open the door and walk in. And what she saw there, sitting on the couch, minding his own business as if nothing had happened, was Sasuke.

"Hey, sup?" Sasuke asked uncaringly.

"Sup?!" she yelled angrily, "That's all you have to say to me, is _sup_!?"

"Okay, okay. What's your deal?"

"My deal is, where the _fuck_ is Gaara?!"

"And how do you expect me to know?"

"Well, Sasuke." Sakura began to explain, pacing back and forth with her hands clasped behind her back, "I came home yesterday after leaving your house, and Gaara was not there. I looked for him, or, a lot of us looked for him. You were not home for all of yesterday afternoon. And today, I wake up, and come here. You are home. Gaara is not. Care to explain, Sasuke?" She finished in a rude tone.

"Sakura. I cannot believe you think I would do such a thing." He seemed offended.

She laughed at him. "You were a criminal! No, let me rephrase that. You _are_ a criminal. And I will not tolerate it any longer. Ever since that day you left me so many years ago. _Ever since then! _I have missed you, and waited longingly for you to come back. But, you know what? When I found out you had become a criminal, I hated you. And all the times we fought, I fought with a passion of hatred. And I held more hatred inside of me, deep inside my soul, than you _ever_ will. Then, that day you apologized to me only when I had you at the brink of death, I looked into your eyes and studied them, and I saw that your bad intentions truly _were_ gone. Maybe I was wrong, or maybe you played me, but it wasn't true at all. I could still be wrong, and you may not be the reason for Gaara's disappearance, but the facts still stand. You are an evil man. No, you don't even deserve to be called a man. You are an evil _thing_, deep down to the core, and I have lost all respect for you that you possibly could have gained from me. _Ever_."

As Sakura finished her last few words, Sasuke sat there, stunned, staring blankly at nothing. His skin was paler, if even possible, as if he had just seen a ghost. Sakura tapped her foot impatiently, awaiting a response from the raven-haired man. He coughed a bit, kind of choked on his words, trying to find a way to speak. Then, finally, he spoke.

"S-Sakura. I-I-I don't even know what to say. You... Since when did you get that kind of courage? You've never spoken to me in such a way. You're correct, though. I did kidnap Gaara. But we got halfway down the path to Sunagakure when I finally realized, 'What would be the point of this? It would just hurt people and probably get me killed. I haven't changed, I'm just a monster.' So I let him go. I have no idea what he did after that."

"You liar! If you let him go, he would have come back to me! I know he would." Sakura began to cry softly.

"I'm seriously not lying. Look into my eyes, Sakura."

She stared into his deep onyx eyes as tears began to run down her cheeks. It was a little difficult to determine his truthfulness, but she decided to believe him. It was something she thought she would eventually regret, but continued anyways.

"Okay, I believe you. But I just don't understand. Why wouldn't he come back?"

"Well, he said he was going to Suna for a while because he had some Kazekage stuff to do. And he said he felt safer with his siblings and was going to remain there."

"That does make sense. I'm gonna try to call him again, and meanwhile inform Naruto that Gaara is actually okay. You better not be lying to me, Sasuke. Just, please." She looked at him with her big green eyes with as much pleading as she could muster.

"I'm not, Sakura."

And with that, Sakura left Sasuke's house. She walked straight home and entered, already knowing she'd get an empty feeling as soon as she walked in. Naruto was there. It was a little unexpected, but she was thankful for it.

"So, what happened? Where've you been?" Naruto asked with worried eyes.

"Oh. I was at Sasuke's house." Sakura began.

"Sasuke! He's here?!" Naruto interrupted.

"Yes, yes, Naruto. Calm down. Let me explain."

"Okay, okay. Continue, please."

"Well, I obviously asked him where Gaara was. He said he didn't know why he had anything to do with it and so I explained to him why he was a suspect. Then he said he couldn't believe I'd think such a thing about him. After that, I basically just went into a rant against him. I probably sat there for 5 minutes going on about how terrible he is. But, surprisingly, he actually listened the whole time. After I finished, he sat there staring blankly at nothing and after a while he finally spoke He kind of explained his actions then told me he actually realized his wrong-doings and let Gaara go. Now with Sasuke's and pretty much any man's pride, it's hard to admit when you're wrong. So I trusted him on that. He said Gaara is in Sunagakure with his siblings. Gaara is the Kazekage after all. He needs to be there. But, I don't know. I just wish he was here."

"Jeez, Sasuke is a dick." Naruto laughed, "But seriously. I wish I could make you feel better. But all I can really do is tell you I _know_ he will come back, and it's going to be okay." Naruto walked over to her and hugged her tightly.

"Thank you, Naruto. You're a good friend." She said with a smile after he let go.

Sakura called Gaara multiple times until he finally answered.

"Hello." Gaara said, sounding bored.

"H-Hey, Gaara. Are you busy or something?"

"Well, kind of. All that time spent away with you has built up mountains of paper work."

"I was so worried about you! You couldn't have even taken a little time to let me know you were okay?"

"Temari wouldn't let me. I don't know, she said something about Konohagakure being evil and that I shouldn't associate with anyone there. She took my phone away, but I got it back."

"Well, tell me the real story, just to make sure Sasuke was telling me the truth."

"He probably was. He kidnapped me in my sleep, then took me halfway up some pathway, then just let me go. I was confused, but he explained to me that he had changed and that he didn't want to ruin his image or something.. I don't know. But I told him I was going back to Sunagakure just to finish all my paperwork."

"Okay, okay, good. He was telling the truth, then. Anyway, I got to go. I love you."

"I-I love you too." Gaara smiled and hung up the phone. He quickened his pace with the paper work, desperately wanting to finish so he could go back to Sakura. He truly did love her.


	12. Red on Pink Chapter 12

**Red on Pink – A GaaSaku Fanfic (Chapter 12)**

Continued from last time:

"I-I love you too." Gaara smiled and hung up the phone. He quickened his pace with his paper work, desperately wanting to finish so he could go back to Sakura. He truly did love her. By that time, evening was nearing. Sakura figured Gaara would be back in a day or two. She returned to her living room where Naruto was, having been in her room so she could speak to Gaara privately.

"So, how'd it go?" Naruto inquired.

"Not much really happened. I asked Gaara to tell me the real story so I could find out if Sasuke was telling me the truth, and he was. Gaara told me he had to finish the paperwork that had collected in his time with me, which was a lot." Sakura explained.

"Oh, okay. When will he be back?"

"I guess around a day or two."

"Well, that sounds good. Do you want me to leave or would you rather I stay?"

"No, don't leave. I'd rather not be alone."

"I'll stay with you as long as you need me to."

"Thanks, Naruto. It's getting late. Could I get you something to eat?"

"Sure, I'm starving. We can eat dinner together." Naruto blushed.

Sakura nodded in agreement, and walked to her yellow floral kitchen to cook dinner. She wasn't quite sure what she would make. She searched her cabinets and found some ramen, which was fine with her and Naruto would greatly appreciate it. Naruto sat at the round wooden table impatiently as he waited for her to finish. Sakura finally walked out of the kitchen holding two bowls of ramen. She set one in front of him, and one on the table in front of the seat across from him, and she sat down.

"It's simple, but I really like it." Naruto complimented.

"Well, thank you. I wasn't sure what to make, really." Sakura smiled and blushed, "You know, I hope Hinata doesn't mind you staying here with me all this time."

"Oh, Hinata." Naruto's smile faded as he remembered her, "I'm sure she's fine."

They finished dinner and Sakura looked at the time and saw it was nearly 10 o'clock. She told Naruto that he could leave, trying not to sound rude, so he hugged her and walked out of the door with nothing more than a nod and a smile. Sakura walked into her room and plopped on the bed, thinking about how grateful she was for Naruto's kindness, falling asleep in less than a few minutes. She woke up late the next day. The bright morning sun shone through her red translucent curtains, creating an eerie scarlet light that filled the room. As she was beginning to dress herself, her phone rang unexpectedly.

"H-Hello?" Sakura greeted, surprised and tired.

"Hey, Sakura." It was Gaara.

"Oh. Hi, Gaara." She smiled, and though Gaara could not see it, he heard it. "What's up?"

"I'm coming home today." Gaara informed her, also smiling.

"That's great!" Sakura jumped up and down with excitement and laughed.

"Okay, okay." Gaara also laughed, "I can't be there till around three, though."

"Well, I can wait. It'll be worth it." Sakura looked at the time. It was only eleven o'clock.

"Good. I have to get to work now. I just wanted to let you know that, okay? I'll see you really soon. I love you. Bye."

"Bye. I love you too."

Then they hung up their phones, and Gaara immediately began the rest of his paperwork. Sakura tried finding something to do with her time. She hadn't had breakfast yet, so she decided she would call Naruto and Hinata and eat breakfast at Ichiraku. That is, if they hadn't eaten breakfast already. Sakura called Naruto.

"Hello?" A confused Naruto greeted.

"Hey, Naruto. Are you with Hinata?" Sakura asked.

"Oh, yeah. We were just about to go eat at Ichiraku. You wanna come?"

"I was actually calling to ask _you_ that question." They both laughed.

"Well, that's great then! We'll meet you there!" Naruto was excited. He hung up and Sakura hurriedly prepared herself for the day. She brushed her teeth and her hair, and did other various things before heading out the door. She hoped they hadn't been waiting for too long, but she was happy they didn't arrive until after she did.

"Hey, Sakura!" Naruto called and waved from across the street.

"Hi, Naruto!" Sakura also called, standing in front of Ichiraku. Naruto and Hinata walked over to Sakura. Hinata shyly greeted Sakura, then they all went inside and ate together. After breakfast, Sakura discovered that it was already one o'clock. Naruto and Hinata returned to their homes. Sakura sat at home and watched the television until two-twenty.

"Good." Sakura said to herself triumphantly, "Now I only have forty more minutes to wait. But what am I going to do with that time? T.V. is getting boring. Well, I suppose I'll eat lunch and make Gaara something he can eat for when he gets home."

Sakura cooked both of their favorite foods in celebration of Gaara's homecoming. She cooked for herself a plate of syrup-coated anko dumplings. It was a dessert, she knew, but it was one of her favorites, so it was going to be considered a meal for that day. By the time she finished eating, it was already two thirty five. She hurried to make Gaara's food, which was, unfortunately, salted cow tongue, which she had found out from Naruto. It slightly disgusted her, but it would be worth it if he liked it, so she continued anyway. She cooked and salted it, set it on a plate, covered the plate in tin foil, and set the plate on the table. Just minutes later Gaara opened the door. Sakura ran and hugged him for a long time. She buried her face into his chest and he kissed the top of her head.

"Why are you crying, Sakura?" Gaara didn't fully understand emotions yet, especially not female ones.

"I..." She sniffed, "I just missed you. A lot." She looked up at him and smiled.

"Well, I missed you too. I'm glad we are reunited." He also smiled at her.

"Hey, guess what? I have a surprise for you."

"Oh, really, now? And what would that be?"

"You'll see." Sakura said with a wink, grabbing his hand and leading him to the table. Gaara sat down in front of the plate with tin foil on it, looking at it confusedly.

"Take the foil off. " Sakura gestured to the plate.

He did as she said. When he saw what it was, his mouth hung open for a few moments.

"Is something wrong? Did I not do it right or something?" Sakura worried.

"No, no." He chuckled, "It's perfect. I just haven't seen or eaten this since my childhood. I'm really surprised. How did you know it was my favorite food?"

"Well, to put it simply, Naruto. I wanted to make your favorite food to celebrate your homecoming. I already ate mine just to kill time." She replied with a smile.

"Oh, well thank you very much. I'm glad I decided to hold off eating until I got here." He devoured his food. He still enjoyed every bit of it, but he did not want to waste his precious time with Sakura. "I knew there was a reason I loved you so much." He laughed, then put his hands on either side of her face and kissed her passionately.

"I love you too." Sakura said after he broke their kiss, then grinned and blushed. "A lot."

They snuggled on the couch and attempted to watch the television, but repeatedly became lost in each other's eyes. Gaara kissed Sakura's forehead and she blushed again. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him for a few minutes, having not gotten much from him in the past few days. When they broke the kiss, Sakura found herself sitting in Gaara's lap, but she didn't mind. He kept his hands around her waist and she kept hers around his neck, and she rested her head on his shoulder.

"Promise me we'll be together as long as we live." Sakura whispered.

"Where did that come from?" He was slightly surprised at the sudden outburst.

"Just promise. Please."

"Okay, okay. I promise. And I never break a promise."

"I love you. I always will." She smiled, though he could not see it.

"I will always love you too." He also smiled.

"Ugh, all this gushy stuff makes me sick." A man from behind them stated. They quickly turned around to see who it was, but he was already gone.


	13. Red on Pink Chapter 13

**Red on Pink – A GaaSaku Fanfic (Chapter 13)**

Continued from last time:

"I love you. I always will." She smiled, though he could not see it.

"I will always love you too." He also smiled.

"Ugh, all this gushy stuff makes me sick." A man from behind them stated. They quickly turned around to see who it was, but he was already gone.

"Who the hell was that?" Gaara wondered aloud. Sakura shrugged and they faced the T.V. again, only to be met by the eyes of an anbu member. Sakura jumped at the sudden appearance, but Gaara remained unfazed.

"Hello." The masked man greeted, "I apologize for the sudden intrusion. Lady Tsunade has requested you two in her office. She did not tell me why; she only asked me to inform you. That is all. Farewell." The man bowed and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

"Okay. What do you think it is?" Sakura asked.

"Well, I don't know. Why don't we go find out?" Gaara replied and stood up. They walked to the Hokage's office hand in hand. She greeted them when they arrived.

"What's wrong, Lady Tsunade? It can't be Sasuke. Right?" Sakura asked curiously.

"Actually, yes. It is about Sasuke." Tsunade replied.

"But, how? What did he do?"

"You know he kidnapped Gaara. There's no way you couldn't know."

"I know, but... Gaara's right here. He's okay. Nothing's wrong."

"Sasuke has still committed a crime against Konohagakure. Yes, I know Gaara is not from our village, but he is a good friend to many of us here, and this situation will be treated as if he has lived here all his life. Plus, Gaara is the Kazekage! Kidnapping the Kazekage is not something that will go unnoticed, and if Sunagakure will not do anything about it, then I will."

"But, Lady Tsunade!"

"No, Sakura! No buts! Sasuke is a criminal and he will be punished for what he has done. He didn't keep his promise, but I _will_ keep mine."

"Um, Lady Hokage, if I mau." Gaara interrupted quietly.

"Yes, Kazekage. What is it?"

"I know he kidnapped me, but he let me go. And after he let me go, I heard him say he realized his wrongdoings, among other statements."

"Yes! He also said that to me when I went to his house the other day." Sakura told them.

"But that doesn't change anything. What's done is done. It doesn't matter if he realizes that he is wrong or not." Tsunade replied.

"Lady Hokage, I can tell Sakura really doesn't want Sasuke to be punished. I don't know why, because this situation has caused her and others so much grief, but I really couldn't care less what happens to him. I just want Sakura to be happy, and I don't have anything against Sasuke. So, really, I think you should leave him alone. Just give him one more chance." Gaara explained.

"Yes, Lady Tsunade. Please." Sakura begged.

"Okay, fine, since you are the Kazekage and he was the one that kidnapped you and it's up to you if he is punished or not. Fine." She conceded, "I'm wondering, though. Why do you care so much if Sasuke is punished or not? He's caused you so much pain over the years." Tsunade asked Sakura.

"Because he's innocent. I could tell by the look in his eyes, and he admitted that he was wrong and everything. I'm just not one to punish the innocent, okay?"

"Okay, Sakura. Okay. I'll give him one more chance, but that's all he's getting, okay? If he does one more thing, I'm throwing him in jail for the rest of his life. Got it? Now get out of here." Tsunade sighed and leaned on the desk, massaging her temples.

Gaara and Sakura walked to Sasuke's house to tell him what happened. Sakura rang the doorbell and Sasuke answered wearing nothing but his boxers. He immediately shut the door and returned a few minutes later wearing a white T-Shirt and shorts, slightly blushing. They walked inside and the three of them sat on the couch.

"So, what's this about?" Sasuke asked them, slightly embarrassed.

"Well, simply, we just saved your ass." Gaara replied.

"Wait, what?" Sasuke was confused.

"Tsunade called us in and told us she was gonna kill you for kidnapping Gaara." Sakura explained, "But we somehow convinced her not to. You're really freaking lucky."

"I-I don't even know what to say. You saved my life. Thank you."

"No problem, Sasuke. But she told us that's the last time she's gonna let you go, and I only convinced her to because you were actually innocent for once. However, if you do anything else, she's throwing you in jail for life with no exceptions or excuses. So, have fun with that. Bye." Sakura told him, then grabbed Gaara's hand and walked out the door.

They began walking home until Naruto and Hinata came up to them, asking if they wanted to eat lunch at Ichiraku. Sakura agreed and Gaara simply followed. As the four of them ate, they discussed what Tsunade said about Sasuke, and whether or not he really was innocent. At that moment Sasuke appeared and asked to join them. They were slightly upset because they did not want to talk to him, but they did not want to be rude and therefore allowed him to sit with them. All of them sat awkwardly and ate their ramen in silence. Sakura and Gaara were preparing to leave, wishing to escape the situation. Then, suddenly, the village's warning alarms rang loudly.


	14. Red on Pink Chapter 14

**Red on Pink – A GaaSaku Fanfic (Chapter 14)**

Continued from last time:

All of them sat awkwardly and ate their ramen in silence. Sakura and Gaara were preparing to leave, wishing to escape the situation. Then, suddenly, the village's warning alarms rang loudly.

"Take all women and children to the shelter!" They heard a man call.

Sakura immediately left the restaurant and looked down the street, seeing multiple people rushing out of their homes and towards the shelter. The whole village was in a panic, and just a few moments later they heard a bomb explode. She looked to her right past a few houses and saw a huge cloud of smoke rising towards the sky. Naruto grabbed Hinata's hand and rushed towards the scene while yelling, "We have to help!" Sakura, being the most experienced medical ninja in the village besides Tsunade herself, decided she should go as well to find survivors and heal the wounded. Gaara followed silently.

When she arrived, the destruction was more severe than she had expected. There was a huge crater in the middle of the village surrounded by burning houses, piles of debris, and wounded, if not dead, citizens. Sakura rushed to the worst faring person, a woman, and attempted to heal her.

"All... hurts... bad... Who are... you?" The woman struggled to say, almost incoherently.

"That doesn't matter. I'm here to help. Just stay calm and quiet, and we'll be done in no time." Sakura replied briefly as she continued to heal her. A moment later she ordered a nearby ninja to take the woman to a hospital, unable to waste more time. The ninja followed her orders without question, and left with the woman. Sakura saw that other citizens were badly injured as well, but more ninjas were finally arriving to help. Ino came with her old team, and Sakura knew she would be helpful as a fellow medic-nin and as a fighter. After Naruto returned, Ino and Sakura traversed the crater and its border, searching for survivors and healing them along the way.

Sakura glanced up and saw a man cloaked in black garments, with a hood that covered the top part of his face, standing a few meters away from her and Ino. His black headband, strapped to his left arm, bore the symbol of Amegakure, the village hidden in the rain, but with a horizontal slash through it. Gaara, behind Sakura, immediately assumed his battle stance and glared at the mysterious man. Naruto did the same, though not as confidently.

"Are you the one who blew up our village?" Naruto asked, nearly growling.

"I might be." The man replied snidely and smiled, unfazed by Naruto's menacing voice.

Sakura stood up slowly and also prepared to fight, while Ino ran to find help. Without warning, the man threw a shuriken at Sakura. Gaara stepped in front of her in the blink of an eye, and his quick-moving sand deflected the shuriken with ease. The man already grew frustrated and threw another shuriken, which gave him the same result. He was highly outnumbered, but he showed no signs of fear or doubt – only anger. Gaara ran towards him quickly, and enclosed him in sand. The man only disappeared.

"Damn it! Just a clone. Now we have to find the real one." Gaara stated angrily.

Suddenly, the three of them were surrounded by smoke, and Sakura felt a person slam into her and knock her a few feet away, then she heard Naruto yelp in pain. Gaara searched for the man while Sakura searched for Naruto, hoping to find him in time to heal him if necessary. She breathed in smoke and it stung as it filled her lungs. She shuddered at its horrid smell and attempted to expel it with quick outward breaths. Despite everything, she could still smell it, and its intense flame still burned inside of her. But she was determined, and she kept moving forward. Naruto was whimpering, so Sakura followed his sound until she tripped over him accidentally. He hissed in pain, but after she recovered and touched him, he fell silent, and she felt his body relax.

"No, Naruto! Stay with me!" Sakura could not see through the smoke, but attempted to feel around for his wounds instead. Assuming he was unconscious, if not dead, she didn't fear hurting him. It was for his benefit, anyway. She ripped his shirt open and found a deep cut across his chest that was bleeding profusely for an unknown reason. She hurried to heal it, and was relieved when she felt the same area again and the cut was far less severe. Worried, she simply moved her healing hands across his body, hoping it would heal anything else she could not see. Naruto awoke, revived once again.

"Sakura, is that you?" He asked weakly.

"Yes, Naruto." She felt for his face and placed her hand on his cheek. Naruto sat up and blew a stream of wind past Sakura to clear the smoke. Sakura noticed that he appeared drained of energy, and still had a cut across his chest. Now that she could see, she looked around and saw a strange blade infused with chakra not too far away from them.

"I-I could see through the smoke a little bit, and I noticed the man aiming that blade at you. So, I pushed you out of the way and took it myself. I owed you, Sakura, remember?" Naruto said with a slight smile, but obvious exhaustion.

"But not with your life! Naruto, you are so stupid, I swear." She nearly yelled at him, but then realized what he had really done. Looking into his deep blue eyes with both hands on either side of his face, she apologized, "I-I'm sorry, Naruto. I didn't mean it. You saved me. And I thank you, a lot. I just don't know what to say."

"It's okay, Sakura. I owed you times two, and now we're even." He replied, smiling, then added, "And you know, I still love you. I always will."

Sakura nearly cried because she was overflowing with mixed emotions, but then she remembered their current situation and stood up to look around. She noticed Gaara was still searching with no results. Moments later, a man, appearing the same as the first, appeared behind Sakura and covered her mouth with one hand, and wrapped his free arm around her stomach. She mumbled and struggled to free herself from his grasp, but to no avail. At that point she realized it was the second time she was captured by a man recently, so she attempted the same thing she did with Sasuke, and kicked her captor between the legs. To her surprise, he did not react. However, they were sure that he was the real man, and not a shadow clone. The strange man did not speak yet, but continued to hold Sakura with a strong grip. Gaara knew he had limited choices, since he could not do much to the man without hurting Sakura as well. Ino then returned with Sasuke and Shikamaru. They also realized the same thing Gaara had, so they attempted to plan their moves carefully in the short amount of time they had. The man continued to stand there with Sakura and watched his enemies intently, preparing for a fight. Naruto created multiple shadow clones of himself, surrounding them all, and he and his clones instantly lunged at the man without touching Sakura. The mysterious man was shocked by the amount of clones Naruto could make, but he recovered quickly and dodged them with high speed. Shikamaru used this distraction to get behind the man, and once there was an opening, he easily controlled him with his shadow possession. The clones stopped, and the man was confused as he struggled to move. Shikamaru forced the man to release Sakura, who ran to Gaara, and Sasuke appeared behind the man with a kunai to his throat.

"Now. Who are you, and why did you come here?" Sasuke asked the man, threatening to slit his throat.

"My name is Adaru." The man struggled to say, "I'm just a rogue from Amegakure. I wanted to blow up Konohagakure because... Well, it's complicated."

"Why?" Sasuke pressed the kunai, releasing a few drops of blood.

He coughed and continued, "Okay, okay. My.. My wife abandoned me and took our one child with her. I know she came here, but this is a pretty big place, so I just wanted to blow it all up. It's the only way."

"What was her name?" Sakura moved closer and asked curiously.

"Kerana." He replied.

"I-I think I knew a Kerana." Ino finally spoke, "She came to my flower shop one day. What'd she look like?"

"Curly blonde hair and light brown eyes."

"Yes! That was her, then."

"Do you know where she is? Maybe if I just talked to her." He looked into Ino's eyes pleadingly.

"No." Sasuke interrupted, and sliced the man's throat.


	15. Red on Pink Chapter 15

**Red on Pink – A GaaSaku Fanfic (Chapter 15)**

Continued from last time:

"I-I think I knew a Kerana." Ino finally spoke, "She came to my flower shop one day. What'd she look like?"

"Curly blonde hair and light brown eyes."

"Yes! That was her, then."

"Do you know where she is? Maybe if I just talked to her." He looked into Ino's eyes pleadingly.

"No." Sasuke interrupted, and sliced the man's throat. Shikamaru released his shadow possession, and Adaru fell to the ground instantly, choking, coughing up blood, and then dying within half a minute.

"Sasuke!" Sakura yelled at him, "Why did you do that?!"

"What did you expect me to do? He blew up part of our village, and he was getting annoying anyway." Sasuke replied uncaringly.

"Sasuke. We could've at least let him explain himself some more. I was curious."

"We also could have gathered intel." Shikamaru pointed out.

"Not like it matters. I'm a bit fed up with this 'love' stuff anyway. Doesn't matter anymore."

"But... Why?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Please?"

"_No_! No, Sakura." Sasuke threw up his arms, turned around, and stormed away.

"Well, what's his deal?" Naruto looked after him and wondered.

"I don't know, but I'm slightly worried." Sakura admitted.

"Are you still bothering with him? I thought you got over it." Ino asked her.

"Well, of course I did. I haven't loved him since I realized one day how much he had changed, and how evil he had become. Now that he's back, I still don't, but I somewhat care about him as a friend."

"I don't know if you ever told me that. But I got over him a long time ago as well, and I'm still glad we became friends again. Plus, I like someone else now." Ino said, smiling.

"And who might that be?" Sakura asked curiously with wide eyes.

"Not telling." Ino smiled again with a wink, "Anyways, we should probably report to Tsunade. She may want to talk to us, or possibly reward us for dispatching the rogue."

"You're right. We should." Sakura nodded and began walking to the Hokage's building.

Naruto picked up Adaru's chakra blade, then he and the rest of them followed. Within a few short minutes they reached her building, and walked through to her office. Naruto knocked on her door, and heard an invitation, so he opened it and the group walked in.

"Hello. I see you all are doing well while my village is being destroyed."

"Not anymore, miss. We've killed the man who blew it up, and he won't be causing any more harm." Ino informed her.

"Oh, did you? Well, that's very good. I assume you all worked as a team, so all of you should be rewarded." Tsunade told them.

"Actually, only a few of us helped. It's a rather long story." Sakura stated.

"I have time."

"Okay. Ino and I were walking around healing survivors until the man showed up named Adaru. He was wearing all black, and I saw that he was a missing-nin from Amegakure. First, Adaru started with simple shuriken, which Gaara deflected with his sand. From what I could tell, he wasn't very experienced, but he was determined. Ino ran to get help, then he threw a smoke bomb, or used some jutsu, and also threw a strange chakra-edged blade at me, but Naruto pushed me out of the way and took the blow himself. After that, I searched for Naruto and eventually found him, and healed him as quickly as I could. It seems he is mostly recovered, but he may need some further treatment. Anyway, Naruto cleared the smoke a little, and Adaru was gone, but then he appeared out of nowhere and captured me. By that time Ino arrived with Shikamaru and Sasuke, who also helped. Naruto used his multi-shadow-clone-jutsu and distracted him while Shikamaru got him with his shadow possession. He forced Adaru to let me go, and then Sasuke appeared behind the man and put a kunai to his throat. Adaru explained to us his wife had left him and came to the leaf village, so he wanted to blow it up. Ino knew his wife, so he asked if he could talk to her, then Sasuke slit his throat open and killed him unexpectedly. That was it." Sakura sighed after her last sentence, having said it quickly with few pauses.

"Wow. Did you know that man was in the bingo book?" They all stared at her incredulously. "Yes, he was actually very dangerous. I do believe all of you should be rewarded for your bravery, for helping the innocent villagers, and most of all for protecting our village. Come here, Naruto, and let me inspect your wounds."

Naruto walked to Tsunade's desk and moved the remains of his shirt aside so she could see his chest wound completely. She looked at it with curiosity, then lifted her hand, put it on his chest, and attempted to heal it. She realized that the cut would not heal fully.

"That must've been a very strong blade. I can't even heal it, being the most experienced medical ninja in the world. The only thing that can be managed is to close the skin over it, but the cut still remains there, filled with chakra so that it cannot be healed."

Naruto retrieved the blade from his pocket and handed it to her.

"It was infused with his chakra when it hit me, but that's gone now." He explained.

"This is similar to one of the chakra blades Asuma used." She handed it back to Naruto and told him to pour his chakra into it. He did as she said, and realized the chakra on the blade turned a slight purple color after a few seconds, and when he stopped his chakra flow it returned to its blue color and remained for a while.

"How interesting. I've never seen anything like this before." Tsunade, along with the rest of them, stared at the blade in awe. She took it back from him and looked at it closer, carefully feeling its edges and every specific detail. It had an inscription on it that read 'For my son.' She told them about this and they all discussed it for a few minutes.

"So, what do you think we should do, Lady Tsunade?" Sakura asked.

"I don't know. I will keep this blade for further inspection, and may discover how it works. As for now, where is Sasuke?"

"He... It's a bit complicated, but he's either walking around or at his house. I might have upset him." Sakura looked at the floor.

"Well, if you find him, tell him to meet me here tomorrow. All of you need to be here at noon. That's an order. Okay?" Tsunade glanced at all of them.

"Yes, ma'am." They all replied simultaneously.

"Good. Now go home and get some rest. I'll deal with the remaining survivors."

The group nodded and walked outside, then split up and began walking to their houses. Hinata and Naruto stopped when they had to part ways. Naruto's house was in the opposite direction of Hinata's. He kissed her and hugged her tightly, then they said their goodbyes and traveled home in high hopes of what morning would bring them.

"I-I didn't know you ever liked him." Gaara stated when he and Sakura arrived home, trying to hide his offended tone.

"Well, I mean, it was a really long time ago, and I didn't think it mattered anymore, because now I have you." Sakura placed her hand on his cheek.

"I know. I just wish you would've told me."

"It never came up, and I didn't think about it. I've been too distracted by you." She smiled and looked into his eyes intently.

"It's alright. I understand." He put his hand on her cheek as well, and his other around her waist, then he pulled her toward him and kissed her.

When Gaara pulled back, Sakura added, "To let you know, he told me recently that he loves me. I don't trust him, and I'm wary of his intentions, so be aware."

"You know I will. I don't want to lose you. I'll protect you as long as I live."

"That's good, but I'll try not to give you a hard time." She winked at him and smiled.

"Okay. I probably don't say it enough, but I love you. You've already changed me and it's only been a few months. You may not realize it, but you're the best thing that's ever happened to me, and I don't know what I would've done without you."

"I-I love you too. I don't even know how to respond to that, but same goes for me." They kissed one more time, then fell asleep on the couch.

"Stupid Sakura... Like she doesn't know I love her. She broke my heart. Ugh, like I even have a heart. I'm just an insensitive, selfish freak. No wonder she hates me." Sasuke walked home sadly, staring at the ground, muttering to himself, and kicking dirt the whole way. Once he got inside, he plopped on the couch and buried his face in a pillow, letting a tear slide as he dragged his feet through the door.

He sat up and turned on his television. "Get a hold of yourself, Sasuke. She isn't worth it, anyway. Or, really, you don't deserve her. You don't deserve love or happiness. You just deserve hatred and suffering because that's all you've ever given people. You can't live a normal life like everyone else. No one can even trust you because of all you've done." He finally just let everything go and fell over on his pillow, sobbing pitifully until he couldn't breathe. After a few minutes, he recovered and sat up, rubbing his red, puffy eyes. Exhausted, he laid back down and let one last tear escape as he fell into a restless sleep.


	16. Red on Pink Chapter 16

**Red on Pink – A GaaSaku Fanfic (Chapter 16)**

Continued from last time:

He finally just let everything go and fell over on his pillow, sobbing pitifully until he couldn't breathe. After a few minutes, he finally recovered and sat up, rubbing his red, puffy eyes. Exhausted, he laid back down and let one last tear escape as he fell into a restless sleep.

By that time it was only 8:00 PM; Ino was still walking to her house, and Sasuke's house was on the way. She knocked on his door to see if he was home, waking him. He worried about his appearance, but gathered himself and opened the door anyway.

"Hi, Sasuke. A-Are you okay? It looks like you've been crying." Ino commented.

"No, no, no. I haven't been." Sasuke snapped at her.

"Jeez, touchy."

"I'm sorry. I'm just tired and upset. Why are you here, anyway?"

"I came by to see if you were home, and then to tell you that Tsunade requires your presence in her office tomorrow at noon. Okay?"

"Okay, I'll be there. What's it for?"

"We don't even know, but it's for all of us."

"Ah." Sasuke looked away.

"What's wrong, Sasuke?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Well, okay. I know we've only just met again, but if you want someone to talk to you can always come find me. You can trust me."

"Okay. Thanks, Ino."

"Anytime. Well, I gotta go now. Bye." Ino turned around and walked out the door. The next day, they all awoke at around the same time and walked to the Hokage's office together. They knocked on the door and heard Tsunade invite them inside.

"So you obviously know what we're going to ask, right?" Naruto told Tsunade.

"Yes, yes. You want to know what this is about." She replied.

"Yes, we do." Sakura stated.

"Okay. Well, for your bravery in protecting Konoha, we are going to hold an award ceremony for you all."

"W-Wow, Lady Tsunade. That's great!" Sakura stuttered, surprised.

"I know. It will be at 2 o'clock today in the area outside my building. You all will meet me on the roof, though. I've already informed the village of this ceremony."

"But who is going to rebuild that part of Konoha?" Naruto asked Tsunade, "And why do we get medals for this? It wasn't much."

"Actually, you all handled the situation quite well. That man was nearly an S-ranked ninja, and the way you defeated him with your teamwork skills was phenomenal."

"But, it was really nothing. I got a little scratch, but it was all pretty easy. Plus, we had the Kazekage's help. The _Kazekage_!"

"Yeah, and all we really needed was my shadow possession." Shikamaru added.

"None of that matters. You deserve awards and you are going to get them." Tsunade said.

"Actually, the reason we're all so skilled is because we trained a lot when we encountered Sasuke frequently." Sakura informed Tsunade and glanced towards Sasuke, receiving a glare.

"I didn't know that. I actually didn't train that much." Sasuke admitted.

"We were a little worried you'd get a lot stronger, so we trained together every day for a few months. It was tedious, but definitely worth it." Ino told Sasuke.

"Wow. Well, no wonder. I thought I just got weaker."

"Nah. But it all ended well, eh?" Naruto said.

"I guess so. But, I don't know."

"Guys, let's focus here, please." Tsunade interrupted.

"Okay. What time is it right now?" Sakura asked.

"It's a few minutes past 12 o'clock. You have an hour to go home, get ready, and meet me here before 2."

"Yes, Lady Tsunade. We'll be here. Thank you." Sakura bowed and walked away. The rest of the group did the same. When they walked out of the front doors of the building, most of them split and went to their homes, but Ino stopped Sasuke before he had the chance to leave.

"Sasuke. Really, what's wrong with you?" Ino inquired.

"I-I don't know. Everything." Sasuke muttered and stared at the ground.

"What do you mean? Does this have something to do with Sakura?"

"N-No! Why would she have anything to do with it?"

"Oh, don't lie to me. I can read you like Kakashi reads his porno book. You're a terrible liar. Just like Sakura."

"I... Okay, you're right." He admitted with a sigh, "It is about her. I don't want to tell you this, but I might as well tell someone about it."

"Go on. I'm listening."

"Can we talk on the way to my house? We still have to get ready, you know."

"Of course." They began walking.

"And if I tell you this, will you tell me something you haven't told anyone yet?"

"Sure. I might tell you who I like, if you're interested. I haven't even told Sakura."

"Oh. Okay. That works, I guess." He didn't much care for that information, but figured he needed something to hold over her head if she blabbed his secret. "Anyway, I.. I'm in love with Sakura."

"You're... You're what?" Ino was shocked and she stopped, gaping at him.

"Come on." She continued walking. "I-I'm in love with her, and I feel guilty about it because she loved me for all these years and I treated her so badly. But now she hates me and it's completely backwards. And I'm completely jealous of Gaara and I wish he was dead, but I care about Sakura too much to do that, even though I know I'm never going to get a second chance with her. I feel like she's the one that wants me dead and I might as well give her what she wants. I don't deserve life."

"That... you... but... huh? I've never seen this side of you before." She stuttered.

"You're the only one that ever has. I never even act like this when I'm by myself. I don't know why I'm telling you this. I guess I'm just not my usual self right now. I want the comforting I've lacked my whole life."

"Aw, Sasuke. It's okay." She put her hand on his shoulder, "And I'm really not just saying this to make you feel better. You know I used to love you, too. And now I'm a little jealous that you chose her over me, but I've been over you for years and that doesn't matter to me anymore. I like someone else now, and I know you'll feel the same way eventually. I know it feels like it doesn't end. Trust me, I do." She paused and smiled, "But it'll pass. You'll find someone else to love and they'll love you back. I might not be the perfect person to give relationship advice, but I've had my share of lessons over the years. I hope it helps."

"Th-Thank you, Ino. That doesn't change how I feel right now, but it does give me a little hope."

"It's no problem at all. I love helping people, and if you really have turned to our side again, I consider you one of us. I'd even consider us friends."

"That's good. Thank you, Ino. You actually managed to cheer me up when I thought that no one ever could. I'm a bit surprised, to be honest."

"I know. Now, what about that 'comforting' you wanted?"

They finally arrived at Sasuke's house, so he stopped at his doorstep and awkwardly held his arms up towards her. Ino accepted him and hugged him very tightly for a minute as she would a good friend, or maybe a little bit more. She patted him on the back a few times then let go and backed away.

"Now, go inside. Relax, have some tea, and get ready for the ceremony." Ino told him.

"I-I will. Thanks again, Ino. Goodbye." Sasuke waved and walked into his house, slightly embarrassed at all he had just revealed to her. Everyone prepared for the ceremony by dressing in nice clothes, then traveled to the Hokage's building and walked up to the roof at around 1:50. They noticed a crowd of people forming outside.

"Hello again, everyone." Tsunade greeted them.

"Hi, Granny." Naruto replied. The rest of the group replied with "Hello."

"Naruto, you're nearly eighteen. Why do you still call me that? Haven't you matured?"

"No, I probably haven't. I still joke around."

Tsunade shook her head, turned around, and rubbed her temples. She was already stressed and it wasn't even past the afternoon yet. Shizune appeared and handed her a pill.

"Thank you, Shizune." She then turned to the young ninjas, "The ceremony will begin soon. I'm glad you're here early."

"We didn't have much to do in such a short amount of time." Sakura pointed out.

"Anyways, this is really simple. I will receive a microphone, and then I will line you all up in a row. One by one I will congratulate you and everything else. That's it. Everyone cheers and we go home. Sound good?"

"Definitely. Maybe the easiest thing I've ever had to do." Shikamaru stated, bored.

"Possibly. Well, it's almost time. Are we all ready?"

Everyone replied "Yes." Shizune appeared again and handed Tsunade a microphone attached to a speaker at the edge of the roof. The crowd was much larger at that point.

"Can everyone hear me?" Tsunade asked through the microphone. Everyone cheered in answer.

"Good. Now, we're gathered here today to reward these fine young shinobi with the recognition they deserve. Each of them helped defeat the rogue ninja that invaded our village, a very powerful one at that, and they will be congratulated for their bravery and teamwork."

The group lined up in a row in this order from left to right: Sakura, Gaara, Naruto, Shikamaru, Ino, and Sasuke.

"This medal goes to Sakura." Sakura bowed as Tsunade placed the medal on her neck.

"Gaara, you are the Kazekage, and you were simply acting to protect our village and your friends out of generosity. You may not receive a medal, for those are only for our citizens, but I greatly appreciate your assistance." Tsunade bowed deeply to him. Though a bit shocked, he also bowed, though not near as low as her, for he was the Kazekage.

"This medal goes to Naruto." Naruto bowed, and after he received the medal, he threw his arms up and cheered. The crowd cheered with him.

"This medal goes to Shikamaru." Shikamaru bowed, then sighed with boredom.

"This medal goes to Ino." Ino bowed, then waved to the crowd.

"And this medal goes to Sasuke." Sasuke inclined his head and attempted to smile. "Sasuke, you have only recently rejoined our village and renounced your title as a missing-nin, and I still don't quite trust you. However, I believe that this act has gained you a tiny bit of trust, and I thank you for helping our village." Tsunade turned to the crowd. "That is all for the awards. These ninjas deserve their recognition for protecting our noble village, and they will continue to show their dedication with pride."

The crowd cheered wildly, then it slowly began to disperse as people left. Sasuke thought about the situation and was surprised that he had only been in the village for a short time and had already received recognition from the Hokage. He was actually proud of himself, and he liked that feeling. Before Tsunade left, he stopped her.

"Lady Tsunade, thank you. I may not have earned your trust yet, but I believe I'm a step closer. Thank you for this medal. I will treasure it forever."

"That's good, Sasuke. By the way, I think I'll be taking the guards away from your home. They are needed elsewhere, anyway. Feel better." She ruffled his hair as if he were a child and walked past him, which he disliked, but dealt with it since he could do nothing about it. Then he wondered why she told him that.

"Wait! Why'd you tell me to feel better?"

"Oh, I know everything that happens in my village." She smiled.

"Did someone tell you?"

"No. I'm simply intelligent." And with that, she turned away, walked down the stairs, and did not look back.

Sasuke just stood there, stunned and confused. Ino walked in front of him and turned to face him.

"Are you feeling better?" She asked curiously.

"A little. Did you t-tell her?" He asked her accusingly.

"No, I really didn't. I don't know how she does it either, but she knows a lot."

"There are probably spies everywhere that she uses for gossip."

"Likely."

"When everyone is gone, would you tell me who you have feelings for?"

"Of course, I'd be glad to. You're pretty easy to talk to now. I like that."

A few minutes later, when the roof was clear, they began speaking again.

Ino whispered to him, "Well, the person I like is K-Kiba."

"Kiba? I haven't seen him in a while, but... You and Kiba?" Sasuke laughed.

"Hey, what's so funny?" Ino put her hand on her right hip and gave him a look.

"I'm messing with you. That's just a little surprising. I never would've guessed."

"I-I guess so. Just don't tell anyone!"

"Oh, I won't. As long as you keep my secret."

"I will. I promise."

"Good. So, does he know?"

"Yes. We are actually considering dating right now, but it's a hard decision."

"Why wouldn't you?"

"There's just a lot of stuff going on. I know other ninjas are dating now, but I'm not sure if I'm actually ready for that. I want to, but I'm scared it'll end badly."

"I'd go for it before you lose your chance."

"I guess so. You know what, Sasuke? You're pretty cool."

"Thanks, I guess. I'm going home now. I'm a little stressed."

"Okay, I understand. I'll see you later."

"Cool. Bye."

Everyone spent the remaining part of the day resting and watching television. Gaara decided to return to Sunagakure the next day to fill out more built-up paperwork and to make sure there were no major problems in the village, which he knew there wouldn't be. Sakura knew he was required to be present in his village, but she also knew she would miss him.

"Gaara, I really wish you didn't have to go." Sakura muttered sadly as they cuddled on the couch.

"I know. I don't want to go either, but I must. I need to be there at least a few days per month." Gaara told her, running his fingers through her soft pink hair.

"It's not fair. My duty is to Konohagakure and yours is to Sunagakure. I wish there was a way for us to be together without either of us needing to leave permanently."

"I understand. We are both skilled in different ways and we are needed by our villages, but it's not always easy."

"At least you can live here with me for the rest of the time, and we can talk on the phone while you're there."

"I know." He put his hand on her cheek and turned her toward him, "I love you."

"I love you too." Sakura smiled and blushed. Gaara moved forward and pushed his lips against hers. Then they looked into each other's eyes and smiled, both knowing that this was their last night together, and they needed to make it wonderful. Sakura took Gaara's hands in hers, stood up, and led him to the bedroom.

To be continued...


	17. Red on Pink Chapter 17

**Red on Pink – A GaaSaku Fanfic (Chapter 17)**

Continued from last time:

Gaara moved forward and pushed his lips against hers. Then they looked into each other's eyes and smiled, both knowing that this was their last night together, and they needed to make it wonderful. Sakura took Gaara's hands in hers, stood up, and led him to the bedroom. They sat on the bed.

"You got something in mind, eh?" Gaara lifted an eyebrow.

"I sure do." Sakura suggested while eyeing him seductively.

"Will I like it?" He asked her.

"Of course you will. I'm sure of it." Sakura slightly deepened her voice.

Gaara removed his simple brown T-shirt. Sakura moved from her spot on the bed to sit in his lap; they began kissing and she leaned forward until he was lying flat on the bed and she was on top of him. She sat up, straddling him, and unbuttoned her shirt so she could slide it off over her head. They continued kissing. After a few minutes, Sakura stood up and slid her remaining clothing off, then she walked to Gaara, who was still lying on the bed, and began unzipping his jeans.

"I think I like this side of you." He stated, rather surprised and enjoying being taken advantage of.

"Well, you better get used to it." She finished unzipping his jeans and took them off of him, then began rubbing his bulge through his underwear. Gaara tried to contain himself at this simple thing, but he spoke.

"Mmm, I like that." He took his lower lip between his teeth.

"I know you do. That's the point." She slid his underwear off and continued stroking, "You've never had anything like this before, have you?"

"No. You know you're the only person I've ever been with."

"Good. Now, where were we?"

Sakura leaned over, and kissed him while continuing to fondle his cock. She moved her kisses to his neck and bit it, to which he replied with a quiet groan, then she began kissing his collarbone, then down to his chest, then his stomach, and she continued lower until she stopped at his dick.

"You ready for this?" She looked over at him.

He nodded vigorously and she smiled at his enthusiasm. She led her tongue from the base of his dick to the tip. Already thoroughly enjoying it, Gaara sharply breathed in air as she did it then sighed contently when she stopped.

"Go on, give me more." He practically begged her.

Sakura took the tip of it in her mouth and rubbed her tongue over it repeatedly. Then she took hm into her mouth entirely and tightened her lips around it, slowly moving her head up and down. Gaara was still laying back on the bed with Sakura leaning over him. He closed his eyes, put one hand behind his head, and one behind Sakura's, stroking her hair. Sakura continued moving his cock in and out of her mouth while moving her tongue along the bottom side of it. She went on this way with increasing speed while Gaara intently moved her head in the same motion with his hand.

Eventually, as Sakura sped up more, Gaara reached his climax and came in her mouth, and moaned as his penis pulsated with intense pleasure. Sakura sat up and swallowed his cum, then put a blanket over his lower body and laid on his chest. Gaara wrapped his arm around her waist, but he continued laying there on the bed, staring at the ceiling with wide eyes.

"Wasn't that good?" Sakura asked with a worried curiosity.

"O-Of course it was. It was... extremely amazing." He smiled at what he was saying, though it was true.

"Then what's wrong? Why are you just staring at the ceiling?"

"Nothing's wrong at all. That was just wonderful, and you are wonderful. I've never experienced anything like that before, and I guess I'm just... I'm just in shock." He couldn't stop smiling, "I love you. Thank you for everything."

"Oh, Gaara. I love you too, and I'm more than happy to please you. I don't require thanks." She smiled.

"I never thought anything like this would ever happen. I never thought I would get you. Nothing good ever happens to me, but I'm truly happy for the first time in my life and I thank you for that."

"I didn't think I would find love, either. But you've changed everything and made my life better." She looked up at him and placed her hand on his cheek, "You make me happy."

He finally looked at her and hugged her tight, thinking about how thankful he was for her. As Sakura laid on Gaara's chest, she reached under the blanket and began stroking him again.

"You're already... hard." Sakura was slightly surprised, but glad. Still naked, Sakura took the blanket off of Gaara and moved to straddle him.

"We haven't tried this yet, huh?" Sakura smiled and leaned over so she was on her hands and knees and her face was directly in front of his. "Ready for something new?"

Gaara was still surprised at Sakura's sudden personality change that night, but he definitely enjoyed it, so he nodded his head. Sakura sat again, closed her eyes, and smiled, savoring the moment. Then she wrapped her hand around his dick to position it, moved her body forward, and sat to push him inside of her. She moaned at the initial penetration, then she used her legs and hips to move up and back down repeatedly so his dick would move in and out of her vagine. Gaara began thrusting upwards against her movements to go harder and deeper inside of her. Enjoying that more, Sakura moaned with each thrust.

Gaara put his hands on Sakura's hips and helped move her; they continued like that for a few minutes. Sakura reached down and began rubbing her clitoris for the next few minutes, still moaning softly. As they went, they tired, but refused to stop, and eventually they both climaxed: Gaara first, then Sakura shortly afterwards.

After they finished, Sakura dressed herself in loose pajamas and walked to the kitchen to get glasses of water for Gaara and herself. When she returned, she found that Gaara had also dressed himself, and he welcomed her with a tight loving hug. They drank their water quickly. Sakura felt comforted with the fact that they had a good last night together. Gaara held her for a moment longer then let go and sat on the edge of the bed. They were both out of energy, so Sakura let herself fall on the bed beside Gaara. She put her arm around him and he began caressing her face.

"I love you, and everything about you. My life is different now, but it is so much better." He told her while trailing his fingers over her facial features, studying them.

"And I love you, of course. You're my savior. You rescued me from my dark world of depression and loneliness." She held him tighter.

"I-I wouldn't have been able to express it, but that's exactly how I feel." He leaned over and kissed her forehead, then laid down on the bed and pulled her so she would lay her head on his chest. They fell asleep this way, thoroughly tired, and slept until morning.

When they awoke, Sakura cooked a large breakfast for both of them before Gaara's departure. They ate silently, neither wishing to leave the presence of the other, but both knowing it was inevitable. Gaara retrieved his bag of packed items for his trip and stopped in the doorway. Sakura walked to him and hugged him as tightly as she could, sobbing quietly. Gaara let go of her and put his hands on her shoulders.

"Calm down. It's only a week." He wiped one of her tears.

"I-I know, but it's so hard to be without you." She wiped her face and hugged him again. "I'm being a wimp. It'll be okay, right?"

He softly stroked her hair and replied comfortingly, "Of course it will be. I love you."

"I love you too." She choked back a sob, then let go of him and attempted a smile.

"Goodbye, my flower." He grabbed her hand and opened the door.

"Goodbye." She sniffled and gripped his hand tightly.

He walked out of the door and let his hand slide out of hers. The simple motion of his hand leaving hers – his presence fading – felt to Sakura as if her heart was just ripped out. She watched him walk away, then shut the door and leaned her back against it, sliding down until she was sitting on the floor. She heard her phone ring moments later. Knowing who she hoped for, she answered.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Sakura. It's Naruto."

"Oh. H-Hi."

"Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah. I'm fine. Gaara just left."

"Ahh, okay. You wanna hang out or something?"

"Just us? Or what?"

"No. I mean we can do just us if you want to, but I was thinking. Just our friends."

"Oh, okay. That actually sounds like a good idea. I can get my mind off of Gaara."

"Alright. Ichiraku?"

"Of course. Where else?"

"Well, be there in 30 minutes. We'll meet you."

"Okay. Thanks, Naruto." She hung up and smiled, thankful for her good friends. Quickly dressing herself in her usual clothing, she left her home and walked casually to the ramen shop. When she arrived, she saw Naruto, Ino, Kiba, and Sasuke. She waved.

"Kiba? What are you doing here? And where's Hinata?" Sakura asked.

Kiba stammered, "Oh, well, You see..."

"We're dating, Sakura." Ino finished for him, then kissed him on the cheek.

"What? Th-That's nice." Sakura was shocked, but glad.

"Yeah, i-it's pretty great.."

"I'm happy for you." Sakura turned to Naruto. "Now, where's Hinata?"

"Um, she had to stay home. Her dad wouldn't let her come."

"Oh. Okay, then. What about you, Sasuke? Anything new?"

"No." He replied coldly and turned away from her.

Sakura was confused by Sasuke's reaction, but continued.

"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm hungry. Let's eat!"

They ordered their ramen and ate, reminiscing about the old squad days.

"Those were good times, eh?" Naruto laughed.

"Sure, great." Sasuke muttered.

"What is wrong with you, Sasuke?" Sakura asked with concern.

"Why do you care?" He crossed his arms.

"I.. Wha –?" Sakura was still confused. "Why not?"

"Because you should hate me."

"N-No! Why?"

"Because I left you. You loved me and all I ever did was treat you like crap. Then I just left and you cried and I know you were miserable for so long because of me. I don't deserve anything."

"S-Sasuke. No, it's not like that."

"Just shut up. It doesn't matter. You know you don't forgive me and I'll never forgive myself either. So just drop it."

"But, Sasuke!"

"_No_, Sakura!"

"You're the one that brought it up. Why don't you want to talk about it?"

"It... Just... It doesn't matter!"

Ino interrupted their conversation, "Sasuke, calm down. Can we talk over here for a second?"

Sasuke sighed heavily, but he agreed and walked a few yards away with Ino.

"What are you doing?" She asked him, looking him in the eyes.

"I-I don't know. I blew up."

"Are you going to tell her you love her? Anything? Or just yell?"

"I don't know! I just don't know."

"Calm down, okay? I know it's a little difficult. Are you mad at her, or yourself?"

"Myself, I guess. But I took it out on her."

"Exactly. I think you should apologize, but you don't have to. Just say something."

They returned to the group and Sasuke saw that Sakura had her head buried in Naruto's chest and he was comforting her.

"Is she...?" He began to ask.

"Yes, Sasuke. Go away."

"N-No. I-I'm sorry, Sakura."

Sakura removed herself from Naruto and looked up at him.

"It's okay."

"No, it's not. I just lost control for a second. You didn't deserve that."

"Well, I was just confused. I had no idea you were mad at me."

"I'm not. It's just hard to explain, but it's not your fault."

"Okay." Sakura stood up.

Naruto looked at her. "A-Are you sure you're okay? You don't need more comforting?"

"I-I think so."

He came closer to her and hugged her. She was surprised, but welcomed the friendly gesture and hugged him back. Ino and Kiba decided to leave so the three of them could sort out the situation. Naruto let go of Sakura and stood there with his hands on her shoulders. Then he moved them down her arms to take her hands in his.

"N-Naruto?"

"Yes, my sweet?" He gazed into her eyes.

"W-What are you –?" She noticed that his eyes looked different, unsettling.

"Hush, Sakura. Don't ruin it." His voice sounded almost entranced.

"But, wha –?"

Suddenly, he cut her off – with a kiss.

Sakura pushed Naruto away almost instantly, and he apologized frantically, suddenly released from his trance. Meanwhile, staring at them all this time, Sasuke was shocked for a moment, but he smiled evilly as his mind created a plan. He turned around and walked home without a glance back, happily organizing his sinister thoughts in his head.

"This... Is the beginning of the end."


	18. Red on Pink Chapter 18

**Red on Pink – A GaaSaku Fanfic (Chapter 18)**

Continued from last time:

Suddenly, he cut her off – with a kiss.

Sakura pushed Naruto away almost instantly, and he apologized frantically, suddenly released from his trance. Meanwhile, staring at them all this time, Sasuke was shocked for a moment, but he smiled evilly as his mind created a plan. He turned around and walked home without a glance back, happily organizing his sinister thoughts in his head.

"This... Is the beginning of the end." Sasuke casually walked home and sat on his couch. The raven-haired man sat, deep in thought, for a long time until he heard a knock on his door. It was Ino. The skimpy blonde walked in without an invitation and plopped on the couch beside him.

"Um, hi, Ino." Sasuke greeted, confused at her sudden appearance at his house.

"Hey, Sasuke. What's up?" Ino replied casually, as if this occurred every day.

"What are you doing here?"

"I don't know. I decided I'd see how you're doing after what happened at Ichiraku."

"Oh, I'm fine."

"That's good. You calmed down?"

"Yep."

"What happened after Kiba and I left?"

"N-Nothing much."

"Tell me."

"Well, Naruto kissed Sakura."

"What?!" Ino exclaimed and jumped up from the couch.

"I'm not repeating myself."

"I don't need you to. Why did that happen?"

"How am I supposed to know? He seemed like he wasn't in control of himself, though."

"Hmm, that's strange."

"It doesn't really matter. It seemed like he snapped out of it after Sakura punched him in the face."

"Well, yes. Either way, that's pretty surprising."

"Sure is." All this time Sasuke was simply staring at the wall, never looking at her.

"Is something wrong, Sasuke?" Ino asked, genuinely concerned.

"Nope." He replied briefly.

"Are you sure?"

"Yep. Can you leave me alone?"

"Okay, sorry. Talk to you later." Ino left, staring at the ground and trying her best to appear sad, but Sasuke did not feel regretful; he was too concerned and focused on his plan. Ino wasn't truly upset, but she desired to make Sasuke feel guilt for throwing her out.

At Ichiraku, Sakura was yelling at Naruto and he was left with a red mark on his cheek from Sakura's fist.

"S-Sakura! I really didn't mean to do it!"

"Yeah right, Naruto. What is your freaking problem?!" The pink-haired girl was red in the face as a result of her fury.

"I-I don't know what came over me! It's like I wasn't in control of myself."

"Sure. That's what they_ all_ say."

"Seriously! I mean, I blacked out, and when I came back I knew I kissed you, and you were mad at me, but I don't know what happened. I just know I honestly didn't mean to do it. I may have feelings for you, but I have a girlfriend, and I'm better than that. Put aside your rage and think about it rationally for a second."

"Well, if you're actually serious, then I'm sorry for being mad at you. But I have no idea why that would happen."

"I-I'm sorry, Sakura. I don't know either. You know I would never do that to you. Because I know you love Gaara, and I love Hinata."

"I guess I didn't think about that. I'm just too worried about the fact that you kissed me."

"I'm sorry. I should go now. Just promise not to tell Hinata?"

"Yeah, I promise. You can't tell Gaara either."

"No, of course not. I promise. You keep your promise and I'll keep mine."

Naruto and Sakura walked to their houses, thinking about what had happened and wondering why it did. Sasuke called Sakura that night.

*ring ring ring ring*

"Who would be calling me at this time?" Sakura asked herself, then answered the phone.

"Hello? Who is this?"

"Hello, Sakura."

"Oh.. Sasuke."

"Sorry for earlier. Yelling at you."

"I-It's okay."

"Something wrong?"

"You aren't the type to apologize for anything."

"Nah. But I've just been thinking, and I care about you. You're worth apologizing to."

"Aww, Sasuke."

"Just forget it. Anyway, what was up with Naruto earlier?"

"Um,. I-I don't know."

"You still upset about it?"

"A little. But he was telling me how he wasn't in control of himself or s-something."

"It looked like he wasn't. It was strange; his eyes looked cloudy from what I could see."

"Oh, good. At least he wasn't lying. I can attempt to calm my anger now."

"Well, goodnight."

"Goodnight." Sakura replied, confused by his abrupt farewell. Sasuke hung up and left Sakura wondering about their brief conversation. She was simply confused: Why did he call her in the first place? More importantly, why did he _apologize_? As she pondered these thoughts, she slowly fell asleep on her red couch.

After he hung up, Sasuke planned for a short time, pacing his living room.

"I need to think of a subtle way to acquire the Kazekage's phone number. Couldn't I just ask someone? No, that'd be too suspicious. Would the Hokage know? Well, that'd be suspicious too. Hmmm... It has to be _somewhere_." Sasuke walked to Sakura's house stealthily, donning an outfit of solid black. Peeking through her window, he saw that she was asleep on the couch, so he figured she didn't lock the door. He found himself to be correct. Sasuke opened the door and walked inside, then muttered to himself, "Jeez, I feel like I'm intruding, but I _have_ to find it."

He walked around her living room and her floral bedroom, looking for her phone or at least a piece of paper. Eventually he stopped his search and stared at Sakura dozing on the couch. This made him feel even more intrusive, so he moved on until he realized her phone was in the pocket of her black shorts.

"Well," Sasuke whispered to himself, "This is my only chance. I _have _to take it, but I must be very careful..." He trailed off as he tip-toed closer to her unconscious body.

Sasuke stuck his finger into her tight pocket and pushed her phone out, trying not to wake her. He promptly found what he came for and copied the number to his own phone. After that, he left, shutting the door, and walked to his large house.

"Alright." Sasuke said, talking to himself, "Now all I need to do is wait until morning and call the Kazekage, relay some information, and my plan is finished." After he organized his plans further, Sasuke fell asleep on his black couch with a smile.

After Sasuke awoke, he ate breakfast and dialed Gaara's phone number, but then there was a knock on his door. He sighed and hung up the phone before it could ring. opened the door and, not surprisingly, it was Ino.

"Hey, whatcha doin'?" She asked and casually walked inside, to Sasuke's annoyance.

"I'm kind of busy, if you wouldn't mind." Sasuke replied, trying to stay calm.

"Oh, no, I don't care. Go ahead. I'll be quiet." The blonde plopped herself on the couch and got comfortable.

"Ino, it's a private matter."

"I'll close my ears."

"That's not even possible, first of all. And why the hell do you like hanging around me so much? You have Kiba now, right?"

"Yes."

"Then why am I so special?"

"You know back when we were thirteen..."

"You mean you still like me?"

"Yes."

"Oh, damn it." He covered his face with his hand. "Look, I have to do something important, and it has to be done alone."

"Fine, fine. I'll leave. But remember, I'm still here to talk and help and listen, just as a friend." Ino stood up and started toward the door.

"Yes, I know. It still means a lot to me, because you're the only one that's ever been willing to help me."

"You're welcome. Call me if you need to." She walked through the door and closed it softly.

Sasuke sighed. "I don't know what is up with her, but she sure has changed. Might even be a little bit prettier..." He picked up his phone and dialed Gaara's phone number again. After a few rings, he answered it.

"Hello?"

"Hello." Sasuke attempted to mask his voice.

"May I ask who I am speaking to?"

"Just a friend, here to give you some information."

"Yes?"

"Sakura is cheating on you with Naruto."

"She would never do that." Gaara was very sure of himself.

"It's true, though. She kissed him. You could ask him or anyone that was there when it happened."

"But, sh-she wouldn't." Sasuke could tell that Gaara's confidence was wavering.

"Oh, but she did. Call up Ichiraku and ask the workers."

"I-I don't think I need to." Now he was hooked.

"But there's your proof. Take it or leave it. You're welcome." Sasuke hung up the phone without saying goodbye, feeling very triumphant. "And now, I simply wait. My plan has only begun." He said to himself with an evil smile.


	19. Red on Pink Chapter 19

**Red on Pink – A GaaSaku Fanfic (Chapter 19)**

Continued from last time:

"But there's your proof. Take it or leave it. You're welcome." Sasuke hung up the phone without saying goodbye, feeling very triumphant. "And now, I simply wait. My plan has only begun." He said to himself with an evil smile.

Gaara, of course, called Sakura immediately after Sasuke hung up, unable to concentrate on his work with that horrible thought lingering in his mind. Sakura answered almost immediately after he dialed her number, anxious to talk with him.

"H-Hello?" Sakura answered groggily, having just woken up from the sound of her ringing phone.

"Sakura." Gaara said in a cold voice.

"Oh, hi, Gaara! It's so great to–"

"Shut it, Sakura. I know what's going on."

"Wh-What? I.. I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't try to lie. I already have proof. Something is going on with you and Naruto."

"Naruto..?" Sakura mumbled to herself, then, "N-No! No, no, no, no, no! Nothing happened between me and him! I swear!"

"But I know. I've been told by someone, and I could just call the people at Ichiraku and ask them, too. You kissed Naruto."

"No. He kissed ME."

"But you two still kissed."

"Yes. Wait, n-no! I mean... Well, yes. But he kissed me. I pushed him away and punched the shit out of him right afterwards."

"I don't buy it. Until I can be really sure, I think we should take a break..."

"N-No! You could ask Sasuke, or..." She stopped her thoughts as she realized something. "Naruto told you, didn't he?"

"I don't know, actually. I didn't get the name of who told me."

That set her off. "YOU DIDN'T KNOW WHO IT WAS AND YOU BELIEVED THEM?! HOW CAN YOU BE SO DUMB?"

"Okay, Sakura. Clearly something is wrong with you, so I'm going to do my work. Goodbye."

He hung up right before she said, "I love you..." And then she collapsed on the floor and began sobbing. After some time, she dialed Naruto's number.

"Hey, Sakura!" He answered cheerily.

"NARUTO! YOU TOLD GAARA THAT YOU KISSED ME?!"

"What? N-No! I wouldn't do that! No, Sakura! I wouldn't hurt you like that!"

"Well, I don't believe you. I'm going to tell Hinata."

"NO! No, anything but that! Sakura, please, I'm begging you! You know I didn't kiss you on purpose, and you know I love you, even if it's only in a friendly way. I would NEVER do that to you. It had to be somebody else that told him. Please, Sakura, I love her... Don't take her away from me." He began sobbing softly.

"Naruto. I just don't know what to believe. Gaara thinks that I cheated on him, because somebody called him and told him that, even though he says he didn't know who it was. I don't know what to do. I can't convince him myself. I don't know who called him, and I.." She began crying uncontrollably for a few minutes. "Naruto, I don't want to lose him either!"

"You need a hug, don't you?"

"Yeah, but from him. I.. I don't know what I'm going to do."

"I'm sorry, Sakura. But I swear it wasn't me. Think about it, who else was there when it happened?"

"I-I don't know. Let me think... It was.. It was Sasuke!"

"Yes. Now it all makes sense. He loves you, doesn't he?"

"No, he couldn't possibly. You saw how he yelled at me that day. Wait, yeah, I think he did say he loves me one time. But why does that matter?"

"Wouldn't he want Gaara to break up with you, so he could have you for himself?"

"I don't think I would choose him anyway. He has some flaws in his reasoning."

"Well, I would try talking to him. It isn't like he will admit it, but it might be of some use to you."

"Okay. Thanks, Naruto. You always know how to make me feel better."

"Anytime, Sakura."

Then they hung up. After that, Sakura got dressed and headed to Sasuke's house, prepared to reprimand him. However, once he opened the door, and she saw the reason for Gaara's doubtfulness of her, she broke down and started crying.

'So much for being strong' she thought to herself.

"S-Sakura? What's wrong?" Sasuke asked, sounding genuinely concerned even though he could guess what caused her pain.

"L-Like you don't know." She continued sobbing and he held her for a minute, then she pushed him away and yelled at him.

"You are just a fucking selfish bastard! I hate you! How dare you tell Gaara what happened at Ichiraku? I can't believe you would do that to me! Don't you understand how much pain this caused?!" Her voice broke, "Why can't you just be with someone else..." She muttered softly.

"Because I love you, Sakura. Nobody else. But I didn't tell Gaara anything." He tried to hug her, but she pushed him away again and turned her back to him.

"Me and you, we're terrible liars. That much we have in common. But nothing else. I'm not a horrible person like you. I hate you. I hope you are happy with yourself." She walked outside and slammed the door as hard as she could, literally breaking it into pieces.

Sasuke sighed and sat right there on the floor. "Am I really that stupid? What was I thinking? Why would I even think that would work? I knew I really didn't deserve her. Now I went and did this, and now she hates me. I'm such a fucking idiot. I hate myself. Now there's nothing left for me in this world. What do I have left? Nothing that matters, I guess. Nobody else. I love nobody else but her..." While mumbling things like this to himself, Sasuke shuffled to his kitchen and fished through the drawers for a knife. He held it against his forearm, and then stopped himself.

"Well, I've endured more pain than this. What's this going to solve?" He moved to put the knife back into its drawer, but had a change of thought and instead placed it at his throat.

"If I'm going to do this, I'm going to do it right." He said with determination, but then he still hesitated. "I've never hurt myself on purpose before... But, if I want to die, I guess I have to." He sliced his throat and started bleeding, but he didn't pass out. He only laid on the ground while he bled and moaned with pain.

"I'm such a baby. This shouldn't even hurt compared to what I've been through." He coughed up blood.

"SASUKE! OH MY GOD!" Ino came rushing through the door, just before he fell unconscious. When he woke up, he was lying on his bed, his shirt changed, and when he felt his neck he noticed that there was no longer a cut. He looked up and saw Ino pacing the room, and then looking his way.

"Oh my god, you're finally awake!" She pulled him into a sitting position and hugged him, "Sasuke, I'm so glad you're okay! I healed you the best I could with my own hands... But why would you do that? Do you want to die?"

"Yes.." He coughed again.

"WHY?!" She slapped him, and he took the blow without any emotion or facial expressions signifying pain. Then she slapped him again.

"You think that's supposed to help me?" Then she stopped with her hand in the air prepared for another strike.

"No... No, I guess it won't help anything. But I just don't get why you'd want to do that."

"Because Sakura hates me... She came into my house and screamed that she hates me."

"S-Sakura wouldn't do that. I know she has temper issues, but she's a good-natured person. She doesn't hate anybody."

"Well, she hates me."

"Why?"

"B-Because she just does. And I deserve it."

"You're not kidding. What did you do?"

"I-I guess I tried to separate her and Gaara, because I'm so selfish I can't see that he makes her happy, and I want her for myself. All to myself. I'm a fucking selfish idiot."

"Well, you may have acted like one, but I don't believe that about you. I know better than anyone what love can do to you. You know how I treated you when we were thirteen. But that's no reason to kill yourself! Just try to apologize to her –"

"She won't take an apology from me." He interrupted her.

"Well, try anyway. Sakura really isn't the type to hold a grudge, at least not for long. And I'm sure Gaara won't leave her. If he doesn't then she'll forgive you pretty quickly."

"I don't think so. I just deserve to die."

"Stop that! Why do you think that?"

"She hates me."

"No, she doesn't. Look, she and I have been best friends for many years. I know her better than anyone, and I wouldn't lie to you. She doesn't hate you; she just said that in her fit of rage, and I'm sure she's probably regretting it right now. Sakura isn't the type to hate her friends."

"I was the enemy, though. She did have a reason to hate me at first. And whenever she thought she could trust me again, I did this to her. I just don't believe you."

"Look, I'll go to her house and talk to her. Maybe you should just stay away from her until things blow over. I'll come and talk to you if you want, and I'll try to help. But DO NOT kill yourself! Jeez. I don't have time to watch you all the time."

Sasuke sighed and said, "Fine." Then he rolled over on his bed, with his back to Ino, and closed his eyes.

"Goodbye, Sasuke." Ino walked to Sakura's house and knocked on the door.

"Go away!" Called Sakura's voice from inside. Ino walked in anyway.

"Oh, it's you."

"Yes, of course it's me. I just came from Sasuk –"

"NO! Don't speak of him! I'm very angry at him."

"I know. He knows, too. I can promise you he feels horrible about it."

"Well, he should."

"Have you tried talking to Gaara again?"

"No... I know he wouldn't answer, and if he did there's nothing I can say to convince him."

"What about Naruto? I mean, he's the one that did it, so maybe Gaara wouldn't want to talk to him. But they are best friends, after all. Maybe he'd believe Naruto."

"I guess I hadn't thought of that. Could you ask him for me?"

"Of course. What are friends for, anyway? Can I get you anything?"

"Um.. Just a tissue, thanks." Ino went to grab some tissues for Sakura.

When she returned and Sakura wiped her face, Sakura asked, "How do you know he isn't lying to you, that he feels bad?"

"Because he tried to kill himself."

This hit Sakura like a blow to the stomach; she could hardly believe what she had heard.

"H-He what?"

"He attempted suicide, Sakura. I decided I'd visit him since I hadn't seen him since the day at Ichiraku, and when I walked in I found that he was on the floor bleeding from his throat."

"Oh my god. B-But why?"

"Because you hate him."

"No, I don't. I think. I'm not sure."

"Well he thinks you do. He has no hope and no will to live now. And he wants to apologize for being a selfish idiot. I came here mostly to pass it on, and to prove my opinion that you wouldn't hate anyone."

"You're right... I was just so angry and I wanted him to feel horrible for it, because I feel horrible. But no, I don't really hate him. I've always loved him, even though at the same time I hated him when he left, but I don't hate him or love him now. I just don't want to lose Gaara."

"I guess I can't say I know how you feel, but I'll try to help the best I can. I'll be here for you, Sakura. Do you want me to go talk to Naruto?"

"Y-Yes, that would be nice. Thanks a bunch, Ino."

"No problem, billboard brow."

Sakura laughed a little as Ino walked away with a smile on her face.

"Jeez, why do I have to be the messenger?" Ino talks to herself after she leaves, "I guess I'm the only one that can, but it's still a lot. Too much stress and work. Oh well." She decided to stop to get lunch – since it was after noon and she hadn't eaten anything all day – deciding momentarily that her hunger was more important than the favor she was doing for Sakura. She arrived at Naruto's house, only to find that he was not home.

"Ugh. I should've known this would happen." Ino said to herself after a few knocks on the door. "Where could he be?" Then she slammed the heel of her hand to her forehead and said, "Duh! Ichiraku! It's around lunch-time, anyway. I'm so blonde." She then walked to the ramen shop and, of course, found Naruto dining there.

"Heya, Ino!" Naruto greeted her with his mouth full as she sat on the stool next to him.

"Hi, Naruto. I have, or, rather, Sakura has a favor to ask of you. She's just too stressed to come out of her house right now."

"Oh" He swallows a bite of ramen, "What is it?"

"She wants you to try to call Gaara and tell him that there isn't anything going on between you and her."

"G-Gaara? By now he'll be furious with me! He wouldn't have a reason to believe anything I say."

"I'd say to just try anyway. It's worth it, if he believes you and it makes Sakura happy again, right?"

"Of course it is. Okay, I'll call him. I guess I'm used to being yelled at anyway..."

"Thanks a lot, Naruto. Sakura will be so grateful to you for this."

Naruto puts the bowl up to his face and drinks the ramen juice, pays the shopkeeper, and says, "Well, see ya." Then he went to his house to do what was asked of him.

He dialed Gaara's phone number and, not knowing who it is, Gaara answers.

"Hello." Gaara answered without any emotion.

"Gaara, I just have to tell you something. Please listen."

"Naruto? Look, I don't appreciate what you've done. I –"

"I said please listen to me. I can tell you the whole story, and explain everything. Just please listen. I know Sakura loves you so much and it kills me inside to see her upset. She won't even leave her house. Please listen."

"Okay, fine."

"Sakura, me, Sasuke, Ino, and Kiba were at Ichiraku one night. Hinata wasn't there. So once Ino and Kiba left and we were all done eating, it's like something weird took over me. I just planted one right on her mouth, before I could stop myself. You've known me for years, you know I'd never cheat on Hinata on purpose. Sakura got so mad at me and left me with a bloody nose and a black eye, and I felt so bad. I really didn't mean to do it. We suspected that Sasuke is the one that told you, because he loves Sakura and it makes sense that he would want her to himself."

Gaara remembers when Sakura told him that Sasuke loves her, and to watch out for him. He also remembers that Sasuke used to be, or may still be, an evil man who does evil things.

"You know... I guess you could be right. I was just so upset and worried that I couldn't think straight. Thanks for calling me. I need to go there right now. Goodbye." Then he hung up, leaving Naruto excited that he did his job correctly. Gaara put away his paperwork and left immediately, disregarding sleep and food even though it would be night-time in a few hours.

Naruto decided that even though the news was important, he was exhausted from training all day and must sleep. The next day in the afternoon, he ran to Sakura's house as fast as he could to tell her the good news, buildings flying by in a blur, and burst through the door.

"SAKURA!" He yelled and picked her up from the couch and swung her in a circle, then set her down.

"Naruto? What's this all about?" She asked, rubbing her eyes.

"He believed me! He believed it, Sakura! He's coming back!"

"Wh-What? Oh! Oh my god! I can't believe it." Sakura started crying again with the happiness of knowing she wasn't going to lose Gaara like she thought. She squeezed Naruto so tightly that he stopped breathing for a moment, but he knew better and didn't pull away. Besides, why would he want to?

"Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you." She buried her face in his chest and continued hugging him and crying.

Then, at that moment, Gaara walked through the door.


	20. Red on Pink Chapter 20

**Red on Pink – A GaaSaku Fanfic (Chapter 20)**

Continued from last time:

"He believed me! He believed it, Sakura! He's coming back!"

"Wh-What? Oh! Oh my god! I can't believe it." Sakura started crying again with the happiness of knowing she wasn't going to lose Gaara like she thought. She squeezed Naruto so tightly that he stopped breathing for a moment, but he knew better and didn't pull away. Besides, why would he want to?

"Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you." She buried her face in his chest and continued hugging him and crying.

Then, at that moment, Gaara walked through the door.

"What the hell?!" He exclaimed upon seeing the Naruto and Sakura embracing. They immediately separated and turned toward him, blushing. Gaara walked up to Naruto and delivered a punch to his face, wishing to feel the connection instead of using his sand.

"Ow! What was that for?" Naruto turned away, rubbing his cheek. Gaara then turned to Sakura.

"Now, Gaara, please. Listen. It's not what it looks like."

"No, I was foolish enough to believe you both once, and I happen to come upon you hugging like that, as if you were... _together._ And you have the audacity to tell me that you don't feel anything for him? I just saw it with my own eyes!" His face was turning as red as his hair in anger. Naruto quickly recovered from the blow, having endured far worse before, and stood up from where he was lying on the floor. Gaara turned and began to walk away, but both Naruto and Sakura grabbed his arms, telling him to wait.

"What? What do you want?" He nearly yelled.

Naruto spoke first. "You listened to me on the phone yesterday, so listen to me now. You believed me then, and now you are just throwing it all away, because we _hugged_?"

"That conversation on the phone was a lie, too. What else is a hug supposed to mean?" He asked incredulously, because he had never been hugged by anyone but Sakura since his childhood.

"No, it wasn't. Remember what I said? You know me, and I wouldn't cheat on my girlfriend like that. Sakura loves you so much, and if you knew her at all, you'd also know she would never cheat on you."

"A hug can mean many different things, Gaara." Sakura told him softly, looking him in the eyes.

"How? It is only a thing shared between lovers, right?"

"No, not at all!" Sakura exclaimed almost immediately.

"No, Gaara. I see that you really have no idea what you're talking about." Naruto joined in.

"It appears not. Enlighten me, then." Gaara's face turned, almost imperceptibly, a shade darker.

"Well, um..." Naruto scratched the back of his head. Sakura simply ambled over to Gaara and embraced him, arms around his neck. He reluctantly returned it, wrapping his arms around her waist and leaning his head on her shoulder.

"That, Gaara, is a hug between lovers."

"I see. That is not how you and Naruto hugged, correct?"

"No, I hugged him like this." She then put her arms around Gaara's waist and squeezed the breath out of him, causing him to let out a grunt. "That can be a friendly hug, or, in my case, a 'thank you' hug."

"I understand."

"Thanks, Sakura. You explained it better than I could." Naruto laughed nervously. "I think I'll be going now. I hope everything works out..." He trailed off as he walked through the door.

"Thanks, Naruto! Goodbye!" Sakura called after him, and then shut the door. "I'm very sorry for how things happened between us recently. I –"

"Shh. Just forget about it." He interrupted with a finger to her lips.

"Thankfully, you are a very forgiving and rational person."

"Yes, thankfully. However, I will still be a little nervous, and I'd prefer if you spend your time with me for a few days."

"I wouldn't wish it any differently." She kissed him tenderly as a final tear slid down her cheek.

When they broke the kiss, Gaara wiped her tear away and told her, "There is no more need to cry. I am here, and I forgive you." That provoked her to cry even more, to his utter confusion. So, he simply hugged her and stroked her pink hair until the tears ceased. Sakura pushed him away slightly and gazed up into his eyes with love and appreciation.

"Thank you." She said.

"No need to thank me; you only told me the truth, and I listened. I should thank _you_ for showing me the reason to think sensibly."

"Oh, alright." She conceded. "I was just so..."

"Scared? Worried?" He suggested, though also voicing his own thoughts.

"Yes. Very much so."

"Well, it's okay now. I figure that you make me so happy I shouldn't just throw it away on a whim."

"I'm glad this is over. When are you going back to Suna?"

"I just got back, and you're already pushing me to leave?" He chuckled.

"No, no." She laughed, "I was just curious."

"I'm not sure, really. I'm considering taking you with me, though."

"R-Really? Wouldn't I be a distraction, though?"

"You'd be more of a distraction if you stayed here."

"Oh. I see."

"I've wanted you to come, temporarily or permanently, but I was too scared to bring it up. I thought you'd say no since you don't want to leave all your friends behind."

"I can't say I'll go permanently, since I am a citizen of Konoha. I can't live somewhere else, because I have duties here, and the distance is so far. If I was needed, I would arrive far too late."

"I know. But I also have duties as Kazekage. If it came to it, you know that you would need to move, not me. Right?"

"Yes, I know that. But I'd prefer to have a choice. Although, I think we can work something out. It shouldn't be that hard to take me with you every time you leave, right?"

"Not at all."

"That way we can spend time in both of our villages. In times of crisis, we may not be able to see each other, but that's okay."

"Yes. I think that will work out well. I don't know why we haven't thought of it before."

"Me either."

"You know, I left Suna right after Naruto called me. I haven't eaten since."

"What?! I have to get you some food!" She kissed him on the cheek and rushed to the kitchen. Gaara sat at the dining table and watched her, smiling. Soon he was given a large bowl of rice and a plate with sashimi and soy sauce.

He looked at the food and thanked her, saying "This looks great. But I guess anything would look great, given how hungry I am." Sakura laughed and then watched as he ate.

When he was done, he told her, "I-I haven't slept since I left either."

"Oh. You need rest, then."

"If you don't want me t –"

"No, no. Go to sleep." She began pushing him toward her room.

"Okay, okay. I am pretty tired, I guess." He laid on Sakura's bed. She leaned over and kissed him, then left the room, closing the door behind her.

Gaara slept for the better part of the day while Sakura busied herself with snacking and studying medical books. Then she decided to check on him and found that he was already awake and dressing himself.

"Oh! Good morning, Gaara."

"More like good evening." He looked up and smiled at her.

"You're right." Sakura laughed. "You slept a very long time."

"Sorry." He replied, then ran his hand through his hair nervously.

"It's alright. I appreciate alone time every once in a while. Although this was a bad time for it, since I've been missing you and also worrying about us."

"Sorry. Again." He reached his arms out to her, and she accepted him into a hug.

"Really, it's okay. I know you needed to sleep, and I wouldn't have let you stay awake anyway."

"Okay." He pulled back and kissed her forehead, then they walked to the living room. They sat on the couch and cuddled while they watched a movie and drank warm sake. Even though Sakura doesn't handle alcohol well ...

Sasuke was preparing dinner for himself when, once again, Ino paraded into his house as if she belonged there.

"Ino! Why do you keep coming in here like this? This is _my_ house!"

"I just have to check on you and make sure you're happy and aren't trying to kill yourself again."

"Well, I assure you, I'm fine."

"What happened to your door, anyway?"

"Well, Sakura slammed it when she left my house, after she yelled at me for hurting her."

"Oh. Yeah, I can see why it's gone now. That's Sakura for you." Ino laughed for a moment, then said, "I just came to tell you that Sakura doesn't really hate you. She told me herself that she was just angry and wanted you to feel horrible for what you did."

"I do feel horrible."

"I know. I told her that you tried t –"

"Wait. You told her what I did?"

"Well, yeah, bu –"

"I didn't want her to know that!"

"Why?"

"I don't know, really. It's just not something I wanted her to know. It makes me appear weak."

"She wouldn't believe me that you were guilty, so I had to prove it to her."

"Yeah, well, I'd prefer that she didn't know I tried to kill myself."

"It's too late for that."

"But I guess it's good that she doesn't hate me after all."

"I told you."

"Yeah, yeah. I know. I'm always wrong."

"I wouldn't say that. But, just so you know, depression isn't a sign of weakness."

"Yes, it is. And I'm not depressed." He folded his arms.

She sighed and said, "Anyway, what are you going to do now? Will you find somebody else?"

"Nah. Honestly, Sakura is the only one I'll ever want."

"That's not true. You might think that right now, because you like her. But there will always be another girl you think is pretty or something, since you're not in a relationship."

"We'll see. But for right now, I just want to be friends with her. I can't get her to be with me, and I kind of ruined every chance I had with that, so I just want her to be happy. And since that means keeping her with Gaara, that's what I want. I don't care much for myself anymore."

"I see. I still think you'll change that eventually, but as long as you aren't going to try to kill yourself anymore. Sakura does still care about you, you know."

"Really? Did she tell you that?"

"Yes, when I went to her house to tell her that you're sorry."

"That's good, then. I would ask you to talk to her again, but I think it's better if I talk to her myself now."

"I don't know. I think you should wait a few days."

"Okay. But I feel better now that I know she doesn't really hate me. Th-Thanks, Ino."

She was caught off-guard by his gratitude, but recovered almost instantly. "Any time, Sasuke. Seriously. She isn't the only one that cares about you."

"Yeah. If you want to hang around for –"

"Yes!" Ino became ecstatic and began jumping up and down with joy.

"Um, okay. I'm just going to watch T.V."

"Okay! I'll watch too." Ino ran to the couch and sat down. Sasuke joined her on the other side, but she scooted closer to him, much to his discomfort.

"Ino, could you give me some space? Don't you have a boyfriend, anyway?"

"O-Oh! Yeah, sorry." She scooted over, blushing. "Actually, now that you mention it, I haven't seen Kiba in a while. Sorry, I gotta go."

"That's fine." Sasuke much preferred to be alone anyway. Ino walked outside and made a mental note to get Sasuke's door fixed, then headed for Kiba's home and knocked on his door.

"Coming!" A female voice called cheerily, probably his sister. She opened it and her grin faded, "Oh. It's _you_."

"I just came to get your brother." Ino hissed at her.

"What if I don't care?"

"Then I'll get him myself." Ino shouldered her way past Hana and, already knowing the layout of the house from past – shh, secret! – visits there, found Kiba's room and entered. She found him lying on his bed in his underwear, talking to Akamaru. "Gahh!" She quickly shut the door and blushed. Though, she couldn't say it was bad...

"H-Hi, Ino..." Kiba greeted her nervously after walking out of his room.

"Hey, Kiba." She was still blushing. "Sorry about that... I should've knocked."

"Nah, it's alright. I'm not embarrassed."

"No reason to be..." She muttered under her breath.

"What was that?" He smirked at her.

"Uhhhh..." Damn, she forgot that he had better hearing than a normal person. "Y-You probably heard what I said. I d-don't need to repeat it." She turned redder.

"It's alright." He laughed, "I'll accept the compliment." He grabbed Ino's hand and led her outside, striding past his scowling sister in the living room as if flaunting what he had that she didn't: a relationship. However...

"Ino, I-I need to talk to you." He told her once they were outside.

"Can it be over lunch?"

"S-Sure, I guess." They walked to Yakiniku Q, the barbeque restaurant, and after they got their food, he finally said something. "I think I made a mistake."

"What?" She asked, playing with her food.

"Please don't take this the wrong way, but, about being with you."

Ino looked up and tried _very_ hard not to be hurt. "B-But I thought we talked about it before, so it wouldn't end up like this."

"We did, I know, and that's why I'll stay with you. To keep trying..." He trailed off nervously and ate a piece of pork. She was relieved for that much, but still felt betrayed.

"M-May I ask why?"

"Well, like you said that first time, we don't even know each other. We've never even talked. I guess we officially met through our friends and never before now because there was always war, but we never knew each other before we met a few weeks ago."

"That amount of time is okay, though, and I've known people that had good relationships with strangers. They just get to know each other along the way, and if it doesn't work out, then so be it."

"I-I guess that could work... That's why I wanted to stay with you. Not only because you are pretty, even if that was why I talked to you in the first place. I like your personality and intelligence."

Ino blushed and smiled at him, "Thank you. I don't know what to say, except that... I think you're really cute."

This time it was Kiba's turn to blush. "Thanks. I'm also glad that I could talk to you about it without you getting hurt."

'Yeah, if only he knew...' Ino thought to herself. "I-It's okay, I guess. I understand." She tentatively reached for his hand and he accepted it, holding her hand across the table for a moment. "D-Did you know I've never kissed anyone?" Ino told him shyly, her face never changing from its red hue.

"I haven't either. Except Akamaru, of course." They both laughed and finished their lunch, and then walked outside. "Though, I've wondered sometimes."

Ino decided not to question it, even if she really wanted to. Normally, she would have tried to kiss him a long time ago, but their relationship was delicate and she didn't want to ruin it. They walked, holding hands, and she followed wherever he went, not caring much about anything else.

"Where are we going?" She asked him.

"Somewhere." He told her. It was nearing the evening, but the village was active at all times, so it was strange when the number of people began dwindling as he led her down different streets. Especially since it was still daytime. After a long time of walking, Ino's feet started to hurt, and though she tried to keep quiet, she couldn't help complaining.

"Are we almost there? My feet are getting sore."

"Aren't you supposed to be tough? Yes, it's close." Kiba smiled at her.

"S-Sorry, I just don't walk a lot."

They continued in comfortable silence until they entered an area where there were no people, and it appeared that the place was completely deserted. She wondered why.

"Just don't say anything until I tell you we're there, alright? This isn't the place yet." He said, noticing that her eyes were wandering and wide.

The couple, still holding hands, walked through deserted streets until Ino began to feel as if they were the only two people in existence, which was unnerving. They came upon a very large body of water, though she knew it was a lake because they were still in the village, and there was a lone pier that jutted out over the water a bit more than she thought was necessary. Meanwhile, the day was turning darker as the sun went down.

"Okay." Kiba said and led Ino down the pier, toward the end.

"H-Hey, are you sure this thing's safe?" She asked.

"Yeah, I come here all the time." He continued strolling casually.

"That doesn't mean it's safe for _two_ people." She pointed out.

"I guess so, but it doesn't show any signs of breaking. Piers are meant for a lot of people and stuff."

"Alright." She relented, "We can walk on water, so it doesn't matter anyway."

"Right." Kiba turned his head briefly and smiled at her, and then they reached the end of the pier. He sat down at the edge, letting his feet dangle, nearly touching the water with the tips of his toes. Akamaru, quiet all this time, sat on his left side, and Kiba patted the spot on his right, urging Ino to join him. She did.

"So, what's so great about –?"

"Shh." He interrupted. "Just wait."

"But it's getting dark."

"Be patient." He insisted and breathed deeply, closing his eyes for a few moments. Kiba's cat-like eyes fluttered open suddenly and glanced sidelong at her. She was momentarily perturbed, but then simply glared back, causing him to laugh and face her. They gazed into each other's eyes for a moment, but then turned away from each other and looked at the calm water stretching out before them. The sun was coming close to setting...

"Whoa!" Ino exclaimed, nearly standing up, and also nearly falling into the water. Once the sun had touched the surface of the lake, which was so big that it extended to the horizon, the water erupted with an array of mystifying colors. There was red, pink, blue, purple, yellow, orange, and any other imaginable color mixed together. The sun bled into the lake, and the colors never stopped moving, for every passing moment the colors shifted with the sun. It was as if the wind was splashing colors across the canvas of the open water. No matter how it was perceived, though, it was breathtaking.

"I know. I come here and watch this every evening."

"_Every_ evening?" Ino asked, surprised. Then she hugged him, clasping her hands over his left arm.

"Yes. Or, during the day, I come here just to be alone and quiet."

As the sun dipped lower, and only half of it was showing, the lake suddenly turned a red wine color, giving the impression of blood.

"Just... _spectacular_." Ino watched in amazement, trying hard to keep her mouth closed.

"Apparently the red color comes from the sun reflecting off of dust and other particles in the air."

"Since when were you smart?"

He chuckled, "I just wondered about it since I started coming here, and did some research. It makes sense; this place has been deserted for a long time."

"Do you know why?"

"No."

"I didn't think so."

"Hey, can you look at me?" She did, peering up at him with wide-eyed innocence. He tenderly tucked her bangs behind her ear and studied her facial features without the obstruction. He decided he liked them, and then admired her by the soft light of the sunset.

He moved toward her until their noses were nearly touching, and then he stopped. They could both feel the other's warm breath on their skin. Ino blushed slightly and tilted her head almost unnoticeably. Kiba timidly placed his hand on her neck, and then moved it to the back of her head and pushed, pressing their lips together. Ino moved her hand up to tangle in his hair, and he appeared to enjoy it. When they broke the kiss after some time, their foreheads remained in contact, and they closed their eyes. Both of their hearts were pounding in their chests and they were breathing slowly but heavily.

"Yes, I think I'll keep you." Kiba said as he embraced her from a sitting position.

Finally the sun sank below their viewpoint and the sky gave way to darker colors, revealing hints of stars.


End file.
